Sunrise: A Twilight Saga Continuation
by TranquilGuardian
Summary: Around seven and a half years have passed since the day that the Volturi left Forks, permitting Renesmee to live. Now that she has reached full maturity, she and Jacob are together and plan on starting a life together. But when tragedy strikes, will their happily ever after be so happy after all?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Saga franchise or any of it's characters. Sadly. **

The first chapter of a _Twilight Saga _continuation I did awhile back...more uploads to follow. No hate, please, my fragile little heart couldn't take it! . I don't typically do Twilight fanfics but this was a past work and I figured it should get put up before anything recent! ^_^ Don't like Twilight? Go ahead and find something else to read because this probably isn't your cup of tea. :) A small bit of the plot line and information in this fic, especially in the later chapters, is inaccurate, and yes I am aware of that. I've tried to stick to the series' guidelines the best I can, but sometimes you have to throw in some unrealistic plot twists. Enjoy! ~TranquilGuardian

**CHAPTER ONE: STRANGER IN TOWN **

Jacob's POV

Eyes drooping shut in absolute exhaustion, I peered around the forest. The only sound I heard was that of the birds, calling to one another excitedly.

_'Just look around. I'm probably overreacting,'_ Edward had said. I'd been drop dead _beat_, but, because it was for Nessie, I'd agreed. Edward _had_ to stop using Nessie as a justification to get me to do things for him. Better yet, I had to toughen up.

I made one last sweeping glance around me, yawning immensely. The most suspicious thing that I saw was a squirrel burying something in the ground.

_Edward. There is NOTHING here. I repeat, NOTHING,_ I thought. Then I added, _Have a couple of blankets ready for me by the time I get back. I gotta pass out._

I prayed to God he was listening.

I turned back towards the Cullens' house. We'd been having some trouble with vampires coming by to gawk at Ness since she'd fully matured. Most of them had been harmless, but you could never be too vigilant. They would usually just stare, ask questions like why she was dating _me_, of all people, then leave. It wasn't exactly a great boost to _my_ self esteem, but I'd take a couple rude remarks about my smell and genetic makeup over a full fledged war any day.

I was so caught up in my thoughts that I yelped in shock when a figure dropped from a tree. Surely I would've noticed the leaves rustling if I hadn't been moping about my state of walking dead and vampires talking about my smell. I mean, _neither_ was unusual nowadays. The girl standing in front of me had curly brown hair and bright red eyes. She definitely wasn't a Cullen, but hell_ yes_, she was a vampire.

"Hello," she said kindly.

I stepped back warily, eyeing her as I did. Her red eyes weren't gaining her any trust. Red eyes meant that she preferred human carryout over a steak every time.

"Don't be afraid," she said. "I'm peaceful. My name is Hannah. You can trust me."

Peaceful. Right. I growled, considering it was pretty much all I _could_ do. I was on Cullen turf, and I didn't know if this Hannah was a friend of theirs or something. She wasn't a vegetarian, but then again, the Cullens didn't actually have a fan club for their…eating habits.

As I turned to run, Hannah spoke quietly and surely. "Oh, I can't have you going and telling the Cullens I'm here. If you run, I'll have to kill you."

I stopped in my tracks, disbelief coloring my features.

"You heard me right, sweetie," Hannah said.

I could remember hearing Edward this morning. _'When I went hunting earlier, I could've sworn I caught the scent of someone new. Maybe not, though. Can you just go check for me? For Nessie?' _If it hadn't been for that last remark, I would've brushed him off and gone happily to sleep, guilt free. But Ness… well, there was no fighting that. Ness was kinda important to me.

"Why don't you talk to me, honey?" Hannah asked, giggling childishly.

I glared at her, the fur on the back of my neck bristling. _Cool it, Jake…_

"Oh, I forgot, you _can't_! Well, it's so unfortunate that I ran into you today. You see, the Cullens can't know I'm here. Not yet, anyway. And I can't guarantee you won't go running to them if I let you go. A very sticky situation, as you can surely tell."

I could've tried to summon help from Edward in my thoughts, but he wouldn't be listening anymore. I'd already told him that nothing was here. I felt for a presence, but I was the only member of my pack in wolf form. So naturally, I did the logical thing. I howled for help.

Hannah shook her head. "Bad choice, honey," she said calmly. Then she disappeared back up into the foliage.

I immediately took off bounding towards the Cullens' house, not wanting to take the chance of her coming back to harass me some more. She might've not looked like much, but you didn't judge vampires by their appearance. Jane of the Volturi was all the proof I needed of that.

On the break of the trees, I turned back into a human, yanked my shorts on, and sprinted across the lawn. I was scared to death, to be honest. I'd like to say that I was only afraid for Nessie, but it'd be a lie. I didn't want that crazy ass vampire following me.

I opened the door and stumbled into the living room. Only Ness was there, with arms full of blankets.

"Daddy told me you wanted these-" she started. Then she saw my face. "Jake, what's wrong?" she asked, dumping the blankets on the floor and coming to grab my arm, nails digging in.

I shook my head in dismissal. "Where's Bella?" I choked out.

"Umm…Mom and Daddy went to go see Grandpa because he wasn't feeling well, and…Jacob, you're _shaking_! You look like you've just seen a ghost. You need to sit down down."

"No!" I said loudly.

Nessie glared at me. "Park your ass right now, Mister. I don't care if the zombie apocalypse just started; you aren't going to scream at me."

I took a breath and lowered my voice. "I'm sorry, Ness. Really. But I can't sit down. We are in _deep_ crap, and I need Edward and Bella _now_. Where's the rest?"

Nessie frowned. "They went hunting, but-"

"_What?_" I groaned. "Okay Ness, we're taking you to Charlie's house _now_, and then… oh, I don't even know! Come on. We need to get a car, no time to screw around."

We ran into the garage, jumped in Alice's yellow Porsche, and gunned it off the massive driveway and onto the highway.

"This isn't good. This is _not_ good," I moaned as I sped too fast down the interstate.

"Tell me what's going on," Nessie said quietly. Her face was pale; whether from my speed or worrying, I didn't know.

I swallowed. "I was running patrol, and some curly haired vampire stopped me and said she was going to kill me. So I howled and took off."

Nessie's eyes went huge. "It-it's about me, isn't it?" she asked. Ness was no idiot; she knew that her very existence caused stress and worry with her family and the general vampire community. Everyone (apart from us) was worried that she wouldn't be able to keep our secret. They were afraid she'd slip up and say something, or maybe even hunt someone in broad daylight. Neither were rational worries.

"Probably," I admitted, realizing she was waiting for an answer.

Nessie sighed. "Why is my existence such a big deal? You'd think people would get over it. It's been seven years."

I gritted my teeth. "Exactly." Seven years of uncertainty, seven years of fear that someone would try to take Nessie for their own. Seven years that we'd been afraid the Volturi would change their minds about her. Seven years that could've been better spent.

We skidded into Charlie's driveway. In the back of my head, I felt worried that Charlie was sick. He'd been getting old for a while…

Nessie and I jumped out of the Porsche at the same time and ran in.

Charlie was having a coughing fit when we burst into the living room. Bella had him by the hand, and Edward was supporting his shoulders as he hacked up his lungs.

"Dad, it could be pneumonia. You need to see a doctor," Bella said.

Charlie waved his hand dismissively, irritated and embarrassed.

I cleared my throat, and everyone looked up.

"Hey Nessie, Jake," Charlie said in a hoarse voice.

Nessie immediately went over and knelt by his feet, taking his hand. "Grandpa, what's wrong?" she moaned. Nessie hated seeing her grandfather in pain. She was all too aware of just how fragile and very _human_ he was.

Charlie scowled. "Nothing. I just have a cold. Your mom here is overreacting, as usual," he said.

"I am _not_ overreacting, Dad," Bella sighed. "I just worry about you."

"Um…Bells? Edward? I need to talk to you," I said, interrupting their little discussion.

"Can't it wait, Jake?" Bella asked, looking at her father worriedly.

"No. I'm not trying to be insensitive, but it's pretty important," I said quickly, and without room for argument.

Bella sighed and sprang to her feet with a nod.

"Let's go on the porch," I suggested.

"I'm staying with Grandpa," Nessie protested.

I rolled my eyes. "Go ahead." It was probably best that she didn't hear the whole story anyways.

I yanked Bella and Edward out the door by their wrists.

"I heard your confirmation that nothing was there, if that's what this is about," Edward said. He could've looked in my thoughts and found out immediately what was wrong, but he'd promised me that unless I gave him permission, he would stay out of my head.

I scowled at him. "Oh, really? And you didn't hear my warning howl that something _was_ there?" I demanded.

Edward hissed. "Who?"

I shrugged. "I didn't know her. She said her name was Hannah. She said that if I tried to run, she'd kill me, because you guys couldn't know she was here. But I ran anyway. I guess it was an empty threat, unless she goes all Freddy and attacks me through my dreams."

Bella looked confused, but Edward stiffened. "This Hannah, did she have wild curly brown hair?" he asked, as if fearing my answer.

"Yeah," I said obliviously.

Edward started shaking; in fear, anger, or both, I didn't know.

"What? What's so dangerous about Hannah?" Bella asked. She'd always _had_ hated being out of the loop. But, to be honest, I was out of the loop too. The vamp couldn't have been taller than five feet. Surely, with everyone, we could take her out.

"Hannah may be one of the most dangerous vampires out there. She has the power to make you feel such unbearable pain it makes _Jane's_ gift feel like a pricked finger. The pain Hannah conflicts is twice as bad as making the change into a vampire. Vampires have begged for death on the spot after three minutes of it," Edward said, voice husky with reluctance at admitting it.

"How do you know all this?" Bella whispered, gold eyes wide.

"Hannah used to be with the Volturi. When Carlisle left, she was so angry with him, she did it to him. Not for very long, as Aro stopped her. They gave her a second chance, but after twelve years she got angry with Caius about something trivial and did it to _him_. They kicked her off, after that."

"That's so horrible," Bella murmured in shock.

Edward nodded. "If she's in these parts, it's either for Carlisle or Nessie. In which case, we need to keep them both under lock and key," he said.

Bella closed her eyes. "Not again," she moaned.

I knew she was talking of about six and a half years ago. The Volturi had come after Nessie, when she was just an extremely advanced toddler.

We walked back in.

"What was that about?" Charlie asked.

I said something I hadn't said in a _very_ long time. "Need to know, only, Charlie," I grinned half heartedly.

Charlie shuddered, remembering. "Fine," he said. But he rolled his eyes to himself.

"I'm so sorry, Charlie, we need to go," Edward said.

Charlie scowled. "Go ahead. Leave me here alone to die," he said.

Bella kissed his forehead. "You're not going to die, Dad. I'll have Sue or Billy come take care of you."

Charlie crossed his arms tightly over his chest. "I really need a cat or something," he grumbled.

"Hey, you have a dog!" I said cheerfully.

Charlie shuddered. "No I don't. I have a boy who just so happens to be able to turn into a dog," he said.

"Woof woof," I mumbled, ducking out the door.

Well? *hopeful face* It wasn't too terrible, was it? It gets more interesting, I promise! ^_^ Character development and whatnot. xD Thanks for reading! xxxx


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Sadly, between my last upload and this one, I still do not own the world of ****_Twilight_****. I'll let you know if that ever happens though. ;)**

I went ahead and got the second chapter up. . Now the real drama starts to unfold! *scary suspense music* Anyway, enjoy it! xx

**CHAPTER TWO: THE KIDNAPPING**

After everyone said their goodbyes, we jumped in Edward's Volvo, leaving the Porsche at Charlie's. Alice would be pissed, sure; but she'd get over it. Not like she really _needed_ the car.

"Nessie, you're okay, right? Nothing happened to you?" Bella asked, turning around in the passenger seat to stare at us.

Nessie rolled her eyes. "No, Mom, for the twentieth time, I was safe at home, and Jacob came in sputtering some nonsense about seeing you, so we got in the Porsche and went to Grandpa's house."

"Show me exactly what happened," Bella commanded.

Nessie sighed, but placed a hand on her mother's cheek lazily.

"Okay, so you _weren't_ lying," Bella said, embarrassed at herself for overreacting.

"Momma, would I ever lie to you?" Nessie asked in an angelic tone. She dimpled at her mother, lips parted in a grin.

Edward raised his eyebrows, glancing back at her in the rearview mirror. I saw him pressing his lips tightly together against a smile.

"Yes," Bella said firmly.

Edward skidded the car to a stop out in front of the Cullens' house, sending gravel flying and my body slamming into the back of his seat. Guess that's what I got for not wearing my seatbelt. Click it or ticket and all that stuff.

"There they are," he murmured, his head slightly tilted to one side. He'd registered the Cullens' thoughts.

"Are they okay? Are Mamaw and Papaw okay?" Nessie demanded.

"They're fine," Edward assured her; then he frowned. "But Jasper's not with them."

I was suddenly sitting alone in the backseat of the car-I caught a glimpse of Edward, Bella, and Nessie disappearing through the front door.

Growling quietly, I jogged inside the house myself. As a human, I could run almost as fast as Ness; as a wolf, faster than her _and_ her parents. It's not like I enjoyed doing it-if I ran that fast as a human, it made my head pound and my chest ache. If I ran that fast as a wolf, my paws hurt for days. My body just wasn't what it used to be.

Edward and Bella were anxiously murmuring with Carlisle, who was _pretending_ to look perfectly at ease. I saw him glance at Esme once, though, and it gave it all away.

I nudged Nessie. "You could've warned me before you did the whole zoomy disappear thing," I mumbled.

She looked up at me in disbelief, but otherwise ignored me. "Papaw, is Jazz okay?" she blurted.

Carlisle nodded. "Nessie, Jasper is perfectly fine. He just caught up with an old friend, and he's surprised with…with who his friend's new mate is."

"Hannah?" Edward demanded, cutting to the chase.

Carlisle averted his eyes to the floor, wincing. "Yes," he said quietly.

Edward snarled. "Who is Jasper's _friend_, Carlisle?" he asked.

"His name is Simon," Carlisle replied.

"I've never heard of him, but I'm sure I could take him if he tried any funny business around Jasper," Edward said immediately, all male bravado.

At this remark, Alice gave a frightened little squeak.

Edward ignored her, but I gave her a sympathetic look that said, _Block him out, he's in spaz mode._

Carlisle shook his head quickly. "No, son. Simon is _not_ a vampire you want to cross. He has the ability to make you change sides, to make you _want_ to please him, to attack your own family…would you want to attack Bella?"

Edward hissed. "I would never…" he growled, instinctively pulling Bella close. Bella looked slightly dazed and very appreciative of his hands being wrapped tightly around her body in a bruising grip. Ouch, much?

"The only _tested_ way to snap a person out of it is to tackle them. The immediate force breaks the illusion," Carlisle continued grimly.

Jasper walked in the front door. He stopped in the doorway, jabbing his thumb towards the woods. "Simon and…Hannah are outside. They wish to see Nessie," he said.

"Edward, I don't know…" Bella whispered, slipping her hand into his worriedly.

"Hey, I'm a big girl now; I can stick up for myself. I say we go," Nessie said.

Jasper nodded. "Bella, Edward, Emmett, Carlisle, come with us. Alice, Esme, Rose, please stay here. I would ask for Bella to stay as well, but I would be wasting my breath." He paused. "Wait…Carlisle…you don't _have_ to go if you don't want to."

Carlisle frowned. "I'll go," he said firmly. Obviously he wasn't going to let his bad experience keep him from helping his family.

"Hey, I'm coming," I added, almost indignant. I was just as important as any of the rest of them! She was _my_ imprint for crying out loud!

Jasper seemed surprised. "Really? After your encounter with Hannah this morning, I wouldn't," he said.

"I'm not afraid of—wait, how'd you know about that?" I demanded.

Jasper grinned. "You're a very easy person to read, Jake. Your emotions were flashing like sirens in my brain."

"And you didn't come save me, _why_?" I demanded.

He shrugged. "I knew you could tough it out yourself. If she actually tried to kill you, I would've come. I wasn't very far at all. Just downwind, so she couldn't catch my scent. You need to be let off your leash some, dog. You'll never learn to fight if one of us comes to your rescue every time."

"Can we go get this over with?" Bella whispered, half frightened, half annoyed.

Jasper nodded. "Come on." Seeing Edward's worried glance at his daughter, who was walking calmly about ten feet in front of him, he added, "It'll be fine."

We walked across the Cullens' massive yard, out into the woods. The vampires in front of me walked at a normal human pace, and I saw Edward quicken his strides to get closer to his daughter.

Sensing her dad on her tail, Nessie fell back to come walk by me. I looked down at her, and I must've looked wary because she squeezed my hand. "It's just a couple more curious vamps, Jake. Just cause whatever her name is zapped Papaw a long time ago doesn't mean she'd do it to any of us _now_."

Carlisle looked over his shoulder at us. "She would," he said quietly. "Don't underestimate her."

I shivered.

We stopped suddenly, and saw a tall man with Australian features standing with his arms folded across his chest. Beside him…Hannah.

Once we were all grouped in a semi circle, Hannah smiled sweetly. "How lovely to see you again, Carlisle," she said. Ugh, her fake niceness reminded me of that weird little sadistic witch from _Harry Potter_ _and the Order of the Phoenix_.

Carlisle nodded stiffly. "Hannah," he acknowledged.

She turned to me. "I believe we've met before, sweetie."

I frowned at her, trying to clear the image of Professor Umbridge from my mind. This chick was worse than some mental wand waver.

Simon grinned. "So _this_ is the child? The one that grew so quickly, matured so fast, that in seven years she became an adult?" he asked.

Nessie shot him a glare. "Who wants to know?" she snapped.

Simon kept his grin pasted on his face. "She sure has spunk, doesn't she?" he asked, chuckling.

Jasper smiled, his tension showing. "You have _no_ idea. This is my niece, Renesmee; or Nessie, as _we_ call her. This is my father, Carlisle. These are my brothers, Emmett, Edward, and my soon to be nephew, Jacob. This is my sister in law, Bella."

"So the _wolf_ is going to marry Renesmee?" Simon asked in distaste.

"There are no_ immediate _plans, but, rest assured, someday they will be married. You see, Jacob imprinted on Nessie."

"Gross," Simon said simply.

"It's not gross!" Nessie said indignantly. I saw her face get red in anger, and I winced. This was a touchy topic with her. "It's romantic, and it only emphasizes the fact that we're _meant_ to be soul mates! And if you can't respect that, then you're perfectly welcome to go to He-"

"What she _means_," Edward interrupted quickly, "is that she feels very strongly about the whole imprinting thing, and she'd appreciate it if you didn't criticize her about it."

"No, what I _mean_ is, if the weirdo named after the American Idol judge doesn't stop flapping his lips, I'm gonna rip them off and shove them somewhere no one will _ever_ find them," Nessie growled.

Simon raised his eyebrows. "I didn't mean to offend you, Miss Renesmee, and I'm sorry," he said.

Nessie purposely ignored him, turning away.

Simon's eyes flashed, and suddenly she went to go stand by him, acting in a way that not even the _prettiest_ women should act.

"What do you need, my love?" she asked in a strange tone.

"Leave with us. Now," Simon said.

"Of course, my love," Nessie breathed, twining her body around his so seductively that it made me want to smash his skull.

Edward took a step forward, realizing what was happening, but Nessie snarled at him.

I dove for her, not bothering to phase, and such a pain dragged me to the ground mid-jump that it bewildered me. I heard screaming, and then in a sort of horrific wonder, realized the sound was coming from _my_ mouth.

"Please, stop!" Bella cried, reaching her arms out helplessly.

I writhed miserably on the ground, wishing someone would just shoot me dead. I let out another pained yell, and I could see Nessie standing by Simon, wearing a not at all troubled expression. In fact, she reached up on her tiptoes and started _kissing_ him.

I yelled again, this time out of both physical _and_ emotional pain.

"Stop, _stop_!" Bella pleaded. She dropped to her knees beside me, and I could see her agonized face and her shaking limbs. "Please! I'll do anything!" The only time she had seen anything like this ever happen was in Italy, years ago, to her own husband. I could probably guarantee that he'd handled the pain better than I did, but I sort of had an excuse. This wasn't Jane.

"Will you let me have your daughter?" Simon asked calmly.

"No!" Bella yelled.

I screamed again, thrashing about on the dirt. "Bella!" I yelled desperately. I needed relief, but not this way! Not in trade for losing Nessie!

Bella bit her lip. "Why do you want her?" she asked.

"For my mate," Simon said, like it was obvious.

"Does this mean I can quit pretending?" Hannah asked.

I yelled again, this time getting a mouthful of mud. I realized I was sprawled on my stomach.

"Okay!" Edward cried, and a millisecond later, I yelled "No!"

But the pain stopped, and I was gasping, soaked by sweat and tears, on the ground.

I couldn't move; I felt paralyzed. I turned my face to stare up at Nessie, reaching out my fingers to her.

"Please, Ness," I whispered.

"Don't talk to me, mongrel," Nessie hissed, stepping brutally hard on them.

That was like a slap in the face. She'd…called me a mongrel. Sure, Rosalie had called me that, plenty of times. Edward called me that whenever he got really pissed, and even Bella occasionally joked about it. But never Nessie. Never my angel.

Simon nodded his approval, then took Nessie and Hannah by the hands and darted into the woods.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Twilight Saga or any of its characters. **

A/N: I went back and looked at the two previous chapters and realized there were a few typos, and that absolutely irks me because I thought I had them all taken care of. So I apologize for any typos or grammar mistakes you see because I am such a freaking nerd about things like that, apparently those just slipped my eye. There will probably be more, because it seems I can never edit my stuff enough. -_- Anyway, I hope you like the next chapter! :D

**CHAPTER THREE: BILLY'S FATE**

I closed my eyes, unwilling to believe what I'd just seen. It was only Bella's heartbreaking sobs of pain that made me open them and go put my hands on her shoulders comfortingly. I could hardly walk, and my knees were shaking.

Jasper's jaw was hanging open, like he was unable to believe his old friend had kidnapped his niece. And that had been _after_ he'd hypnotized her into making out with him. Nessie had never kissed anyone but me. I'd been her first, and I'd been _planning_ on being her last. Guess not.

Emmett had wide eyes, and Carlisle looked extremely upset. He came over to me. "I'm sorry she did that to you, son. And I'm sorry they took Nessie away from you," he said. His voice broke, and he cleared his throat. "We'll go after them once we have a well thought out plan."

"My BABY! They took my BABY!" Bella screamed, raking her fingers down her own arms hysterically. She probably didn't even realize she was doing it.

"We'll get her back," Edward promised.

"She's just a child," Bella sobbed. "Just a child! And _you_ gave her to him!"

Edward flinched. "I had no plans of letting them actually leave, Bella. It was just to get their attention off of Jacob. But they moved so suddenly…" He trailed off, ashamed.

Still scraping down her arms in a cruel sort of self embrace, Belle began rocking back and forth on her heels. "She's so young…"

"Love, Nessie can take care of herself," Edward murmured, gently but firmly taking her hands in his own to prevent her from hurting herself. "We'll get her back, I promise. I _swear_."

Jasper blinked. "I smell…_blood_," he said suddenly, his pupils dilating and turning black.

Carlisle put a hand on his shoulder. "Son…" he started.

"I'm in control, Carlisle, don't worry. It—it's human blood. It's…coming from our house," Jasper said.

Four other noses sniffed, and four pairs of eyes turned big and black. It was kind of like that scary moment in _Jaws_ when the music started playing.

I sniffed, but all I could smell was the scent of my dad's cologne wafting on the breeze…._my dad's cologne_?!

"Guys! It's my dad!" I cried, taking off running. My legs still felt like jello, but I managed not to fall, and I burst out of the forest with five thirsty vampires behind me.

Not a smart move, but I was desperate.

What happened next was almost in slow motion. The first thing I saw was Sue's truck, parked in the Cullens' driveway. There was something dark colored staining the seats, something my mind refused to recognize. Then I saw Esme and Rosalie with their hands over their noses, standing by with a look of horror on their faces. Then I saw Sue, crying. Then, finally, I saw _him_. My dad was sprawled on the driveway; mangled, bloody, passed out. Alice was holding him, shaking in either fear, grief, or effort at restraint. I didn't know, and I didn't care. All I knew was that I'd kick her ass into next week if she ate my dad.

"Oh my_ God_! What happened?!" I screamed hoarsely. My voice was still weak after yelling so much a few minutes ago.

Carlisle came up behind me and picked Billy up off the ground calmly. He took his pulse, and then rushed him into the house.

We all followed.

Man, was I being punched in the gut today or what? My girlfriend gets kidnapped, my dad is barely breathing…

"Jared got a hold of him! He didn't mean to; he and Brady were fighting as wolves, and Billy tried to stop them…anyway, he was conscious for a while, but then he passed out and the last thing he said was, 'Take me to Carlisle, its my time.', and so I did, and…" Sue was rambling hysterically.

"I have to change him," Carlisle murmured.

The last thing I saw was the floor tilting, then rushing up towards my face. I blacked out, right about then.

I woke up on the couch with a cool washrag on my forehead. I realized, self consciously, that someone must've carried me there. But then all the day's events came flooding back to me, including what had happened to my dad.

"Where's Billy?" I croaked to Bella, the only one in the room. How bad would it be if_ she'd _been the one who'd carried me?

"He's…recovering," Bella murmured, gently pushing my head back down on the arm of the couch.

"Did Carlisle…?"

Bella nodded grimly, smoothing back my hair.

My world went dark again.

When I came to, I kept my eyes closed, trying to sort out all my emotions. I wasn't a fainter; I'd _never_ done it before. Calmly, I went through my head, registering everything that had happened. Nessie was kidnapped. My dad would be a vampire. Okay. Now that I had _that _taken care of, I kept my eyes closed, allowing myself to be swallowed in grief.

I heard the _whoosh_ of wind, and felt Bella's hand on my forehead.

"Jacob?" she whispered.

I kept my eyes closed, not ready to talk yet.

"Poor baby's been through so much, let him rest," Esme's voice said.

"He's been out for twenty minutes! You're not supposed to faint and stay out that long," Bella said worriedly. She was worried about _me_. Me, when she'd just witnessed her daughter being abducted. Becoming a vampire didn't change Bella's selflessness.

"We've all been through a lot, not just him," Rosalie said. Good to know that Rosalie was being as sweet as ever.

"Rose," Emmett scolded. "He was attacked by Hannah for at least forty five seconds. And you should've seen the look on his face when Nessie walked out on him. To top it off, he comes home, already in enough physical and emotional pain, to find his dad barely breathing, and to hear Carlisle say he's gonna change him. Cut him some slack."

"Carlisle shouldn't have bitten him," Rosalie said sourly.

"Was I supposed to let him die?" Carlisle asked rhetorically.

Rosalie dodged his question. "We're just going to be stuck with a forty seven year old version of Jacob," she growled.

I'd had enough. I'd always been better at the talking thing than the listening thing anyway. "Thanks so much," I croaked, opening my eyes.

"Jacob!" Bella said in relief. "You're awake!"

"Yeah, I'm awake. So now you guys have to stop talking about me and my dad behind our backs," I said icily. "None of you give a _crap_ about my dad, except for maybe Carlisle."

"I do," Bella said quietly, wounded.

"And Bella," I amended apologetically. I looked around. "Where are Edward, Alice, and Jasper?" I asked.

Rosalie snorted. "They don't give a crap about your dad, and that's why they haven't left his side since Carlisle bit him," she said.

I jumped to my feet, staggering. I had to grip the arm of the couch for support and count to three before I straightened back up slowly.

"Drunk," Rosalie commented.

"Dumb blonde," I shot back.

"My hair color is _really_ the only thing you have over me? What would you do if I was a brunette?" Rosalie asked, sounding slightly amused.

"I'm sure I'd find something," I said absently. It wasn't worth bickering with Rosalie today. "Where's my dad, and why are Alice, Jasper, and Edward the only ones with him?"

"Your dad's upstairs, and the reason we came down is because we couldn't stand the yelling."

I winced. "Billy's yelling?" I asked in a trembling voice.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Not your _dad_. He's actually behaving basically the way Bella did. Still. They pumped so many different pain meds into him…anyway, its Alice and Jasper that were yelling. Right before Carlisle bit him, he woke up, just a little, and asked for you. Alice and Jazz had a screaming match over whether or not to honor his wishes. Alice said yes, to wake you up, but Jasper said no, to let you rest. Obviously, Jasper won."

"Which room?" I asked simply.

"Carlisle's study. Same room I was in," Bella said.

I nodded, bounding up the stairs. I left sweaty fingerprints on the banister, trying to stay upright. It wasn't an easy task.

I came to Carlisle's study. The door was shut. Sucking in a breath, I pushed it open. Jasper was suddenly standing in the door frame, blocking my view.

"Let me through, Jasper," I said through gritted teeth.

"No Jacob. You don't need to see this. You don't need these images on your mind," he said.

"He's my _dad_. Let me through," I said again, hands balled into fists.

Jasper shook his head. "I'm _sorry_, Jake. But no," he said.

I growled. "So help me, Jasper, if you don't move in three seconds, I'll-"

Alice walked calmly to Jasper's side. "Move, Jazz," she said quietly.

"But…" Jasper started.

"Move," she said again, her eyes flashing in anger.

Jasper moved.

Alice took me by the hand. In over nine years, I'd learned it wasn't meant to be weird. Alice was a hand holder, a hugger, a cheek kisser, a lean againster, a piggy back rider. She'd done it all to me, so I'd gotten used to it.

"Come here, Jacob," she said.

Grasping Alice's hand like an oversized child, I stepped into the room.

When I saw my dad, I almost didn't recognize him. He was deathly pale, vampire pale, and totally motionless. Though his face and arms were bloody and open wounded, the cuts were slowly but surely closing up as I looked. It looked like something from a bad sci-fi movie, but it was scarier than hell to watch it happen to a loved one. Bella had been bad enough.

I dropped to my knees by his side. "Can I have a minute?" I choked.

"Of course," Edward murmured. He put a hand on my shoulder, then he and the others left the room, most likely to stand in the hallway.

"Dad?" I whispered.

There was no response, but did I expect one?

"Dad, I love you," I whispered. I gently took his ice cold hand in mine, then bent my face over him and began silently sobbing.

I was so caught up in my emotions, that when Alice came in and put her arms around me, I jumped.

"I am really and truly sorry, Jake. This has to be every bit as hard for you_ now_ as it was to watch Bella become a vampire _then_," she said, resting her chin on top of my head.

I nodded, angrily wiping away my tears.

"I'm sure if you want to hit something, Rose would be happy to oblige," she joked half heartedly. "As long as she got to hit you back!"

I did _not_ smile.

"Hey, honey, look at me," she said.

I looked up blearily.

"Whatever happens with your dad, whether or not we get Nessie back, you'll stay family."

I sniffled miserably.

"Why don't you come downstairs? We'll work through _this _situation in approximately two and a half days. Right now, we need to find Ness."

"'Kay," I mumbled. _Ness_. Ness was important too. We had to find her. My dad wasn't going anywhere.

I stood up, looking at Alice. Her eyes were blank. "Ugh! Not now!" she moaned.

I shook her. "What, Alice?" I demanded.

"Charlie. He's on his way over. He's been thinking, and he's changed his mind about the whole 'need to know only' thing. He wants the truth."


	4. Chapter 4: The Truth

**Disclaimer: I do not own the world of Twilight. **

A/N: Sorry I didn't get a new chapter up the day after my last one, but with school and marching band (I am aware I am a nerd) things are gonna be rough during weekdays. :o To apologize, please enjoy this chapter plus one more after it Anyway, this chapter is a lot of basically reviewing what happened in the saga itself for Charlie's sake. Sorry if it was boring, but it was necessary. :P ~TranquilGuardian

**CHAPTER FOUR: THE TRUTH**

Alice shook her head quickly, and her slightly crossed eyes came back into focus. "We have to tell Bella!" she shrieked.

Grabbing my hand, she dragged me downstairs, away from my father; my everything.

"Bella, Charlie's coming!" she squealed as she blurred down the stairs.

"What? Why?" Bella yelped, jumping to her feet.

"He wants the truth. All of it. He's tired of being out of the loop," she answered. She looked me up and down. "Grab a washrag and wash your face. Everybody can tell you've been crying. It will reduce the puffiness of your eyes," she said.

_Ouch._ Way to be sympathetic.

"Carlisle, change your shirt. There's dry blood on it. Rose, Bella, go brush your hair. It's _really_ knotted. Esme, smile. Charlie will expect it from you. You're usually bubbly. Emmett, you too. Jasper, stay out of my way. I'm still mad at you."

"What about me?" Edward asked.

Alice took a deep breath. "You're good for now, but I'm leaving it up to you to tell Charlie that Ness was…taken. Bella wouldn't be able to get through it without crying."

Edward nodded as I scrubbed my eyes and flushed cheeks with a washcloth, then dried them on my shirt and tossed the cloth behind the couch.

Everyone took their places on the couch, except for Carlisle, who was standing bare chested by the door trying madly to pull a shirt over his head.

Just in time.

Charlie rang the doorbell, four times in a row.

Carlisle, who'd managed to pull the tee shirt on, opened it. "Hello, Charlie. You shouldn't be out. You're sick!" he said, sounding genuinely surprised.

Charlie glared at him, coughed, and then stalked in. He locked eyes with Bella. "I want the truth, and all of it! About everything!" he bellowed.

"Charlie…" Bella started.

"Don't '_Charlie_' me! I want the TRUTH!"

"About that…" I started.

"YOU stay out of it, boy! You have no part in this!" he shouted.

I growled. "I have a _huge _part in this, Charlie! And if you want to know the truth, you're gonna listen to my side of the story as well!"

Charlie seemed flabbergasted that I'd blown up on him.

"Sit," I commanded.

Charlie sat.

"I suppose we should just start at the very beginning," Edward murmured. Bella nodded, then began.

"Dad, when I came to Forks, I was…really scared. Sure, I made decent friends with Jess and the others, but I felt alone, an outcast. That is, until I saw the Cullens walking into the cafeteria. They were all so _gorgeous_. When Edward first locked eyes with me, I lost my breath. I thought, maybe, just maybe, he liked me. But in Biology, when I was assigned to sit by him, my mind changed. He glared so hard at me that it scared me. He refused to talk to me.

"Later on, I saw him begging the secretary to transfer his Biology to any other hour. The next day, he was gone. His siblings were there, but he wasn't. It continued like that for the rest of the week. Finally, Monday, he came back.

"When I sat next to him in Biology, he smiled at me and started a conversation. But his eyes…they were different. The last time I'd seen him, he'd had dark black eyes. This time, they were golden. So beautiful they held my gaze.

"He was being nice to me. So nice, in fact, that when Mike and Jessica and the rest invited me to come with them to La Push beach, I invited Edward. He seemed hesitant, and, sure enough, when the trip came, he didn't show. But I did meet Jacob again. We caught up, and walked on the beach while he told me Quileute legends. One of them was about the…the cold ones. Jacob, I want you to tell Charlie the story."

I nodded, but cursed under my breath. My nose was still stuffed, and I knew I would sound stupid. "This is the story I told Bella, or pretty much anyway. The Quileutes had an intense enemy ship with 'cold ones'. We had a reason to. Anytime they were around, the ancient 'curse' in the Quileute sons' bodies was activated. We had to be wolf men. Anyway, my great grandfather, the chief, caught a band of cold ones on our turf. We were going to attack, but these strange yellow eyes claimed they didn't hunt humans, only animals. They were beautiful… The leader had blonde hair, and a kind face, as did his brunette mate. The two younger ones, a girl and a boy, were also amazing. The girl had blonde hair and a…snooty look about her, as if she were better than us. Her brother had tousled bronze hair and a crooked smile, mischievous and cocky."

Charlie glanced around the room at the four original Cullens, who were suppressing smiles as they looked at each other.

"We made a treaty with them that we would live peacefully along side them if they stayed off Quileute land, and if they didn't bite a human. Up until eight years ago, they kept that promise."

I saw Charlie calculating in his head what could've happened eight years ago that he would know about.

Bella nodded, continuing. "When I asked Jacob how these cold ones were related to the Cullens, if they were like them, he shook his head. He said they weren't _like _the ones in the story, they were the_ same_ ones. He said that my people would call them vampires. But he acted like he didn't believe any of it; and he didn't, at least not at the time.

"The next day, when I went prom dress shopping with Jess and Angela, I headed to a bookstore alone to find a book on Quileutes' opinions of vampires. I was walking back to the restaurant I'd promised to meet my friends at, and a group of guys cornered me in an alley. They were shoving me, and saying inappropriate things. I thought I was a goner; that is until Edward showed up in his Volvo and scared the boys away. I got in his car and he drove me to the restaurant. Jess and Angela were already leaving.

"He decided to get me something to eat, and he said he'd drive me home. At the restaurant, he slipped up and told me he could read minds. He even demonstrated. But he couldn't read mine. He still can't, not _most_ of the time anyway.

"On the drive home, I started telling him about the stories that Jacob told me, particularly the one about vampires. Remember when Tyler almost crushed me with his van? Edward didn't just shove me away. He ran, from all the way across the parking lot, to me, in two seconds. Then he stopped the van with his bare hands. He even left _dents _in the sides. Now Dad, I know what you're thinking. Cheesy super hero movie, right? I can't blame you. If I hadn't seen it happen, I wouldn't have believed it either. But it had. So, when I was talking to Edward, I was thinking super speed, super strength, special supernatural power, pale, ice cold, black to golden eyes. Some of these things were in old legends and folklore about vampires.

"When I told Edward my theory, he didn't disagree. I knew I'd been right. Edward…well, he was a vampire. I learned that all the Cullens were. Alice and Jasper even had gifts, just like Edward. Alice was a psychic, and Jasper could read and influence your emotions.

"Later on, Edward showed me that he and the others sparkled in the sunlight. That was amazing enough to convince me in itself. They were just so…remarkable.

"The day that I went to go play baseball with the Cullens, I realized why they were playing in a thunderstorm. At first, it had seemed kind of pointless and actually a little dangerous. But it made sense quickly. It was the only time they_ could_ play. They hit the baseball so hard, the sound it made resembled that of thunder. The game was cut short, though. Three bad vampires, James, Laurent, and Victoria showed up. These vampires had red eyes, though, which meant that they drank _human_ blood.

"James smelled my warm human scent and almost attacked. Carlisle persuaded them to leave, and then Edward loaded me into the car and took off. He knew James would be tracking me. He wanted to take me far away, but I reminded him that I had to go back and feed you an excuse. So I came home and told you I'd broken up with Edward, and that I wanted to go home. Really, when I was packed, Edward took me to Alice and Jasper who took me far away, to Phoenix."

I saw Charlie blanch, and realized this was news to him. Leave it to him to freak about Bella lying about where she'd been, and not the fact that he was sitting in a room with a bunch of vampires. I grinned at him. Good old Charlie.

Bella continued, oblivious to his reaction. "We stayed in a hotel. James called my cell phone though, from home. He told me that he had Renee, and that if I wanted her back, I needed to come to my old ballet studio, alone. I should've been smart enough to remember that Renee was in Jacksonville, but I wasn't. I waited until Alice and Jasper weren't watching me, and then I left. When I got to the ballet studio, I realized it was a trap. But it was too late. James had me. He tried to kill me, but the Cullens showed up just in time. I was broken, but otherwise okay. But…then James bit me. Edward was so angry that he ripped James apart and burned the pieces. That's the only way to kill a vampire.

"After that, he tended to me. He sucked the venom out of my wrist, because if he hadn't, it would've turned _me_ into a vampire. Then they took me to a hospital. That's why I was there. I wasn't there because I fell down stairs and out of a window, even though _that _sounds more like me.

"Later on, on my eighteenth birthday, I made the mistake of getting a paper cut. That set a frenzy off in Jasper, who tried to kill me."

Jasper looked down in embarrassment, clasping his hands together when Charlie gave him a baleful look.

"I don't hold anything against you, Jazz, you know that," Bella said softly. She put a hand over his, smiling. Jasper forced a smile back, trying his hardest to ignore the piercing glare he was getting from Charlie.

"Anyway, Edward had to throw me into a table of glass plates to save my life," Bella continued. "That's why I came home with stitches that night. Carlisle fixed me. Edward and his family left after that, thinking it would be best for me. It wasn't, as you can surely remember."

Charlie shuddered. He obviously did.

"I started hanging out with Jacob again. I realized that whenever I felt adrenaline, I heard Edward's voice telling me to stop._ That's_ why I bought the motorcycles. I brought them to Jake, who said he could easily fix them. The motorcycles brought us together."

I saw Edward's lips tighten at this point in the story. He wasn't proud of himself for leaving Bella, and he definitely wasn't happy that Bella and I had at one point been in love. But he knew he couldn't deny it, and he stayed quiet.

Charlie was listening intently, quite entertained. He'd handled the vampire thing pretty well, now he was quietly listening as the story unfolded.

"Jacob taught me to ride the motorcycles. I wrecked a bunch-" At this, Charlie looked mortified "-but that's not important. Suddenly, Jake stopped hanging out with me. That's when he turned into a werewolf, or what we call him now, a shape shifter. That was when the excuse of him having mono came. When I finally went to him, I was horrified. His hair had been cut off, shorter than it is now, and he'd started hanging out with his enemies. He didn't grin like he used to. I wasn't getting anywhere with him, so I left.

"Later on, I decided to go to a meadow in the woods that Edward and I had both loved. It had turned barren. Laurent showed up. At first I was excited to see a vampire, vegetarian or not. But then he started circling me, closing in. I was sure I would die, but these _huge_ wolves came in and chased him off."

"Okay, stop, stop," Charlie said. "These wolves, were they Jacob and his friends?"

"Yes," Bella replied. She looked a little ticked that he'd interrupted her. "Okay, let's see, after the wolves took off after Laurent and killed him, I ran back home and told you about the wolves. I eventually I found out about shape shifters, and Jake and I stayed friends. I,-" she hesitated in embarrassment, "-went cliff diving without him and I couldn't get back to the surface, so I started to drown, but Jake pulled me out and got me breathing again. Alice saw a vision of me jumping and she'd thought I'd done it to kill myself. She couldn't see Jacob pull me out because she can't see shape shifters. She told Rosalie, and Rose told Edward.

"Edward was so upset that he went to Italy, to the Volturi, a very powerful vampire family. They enforce the vampire rules. He asked them to kill him, but they refused. So he started thinking up ideas on how to get himself killed. Meanwhile, Alice came back to make sure that I was alive, and when she saw the vision of Edward getting killed, we jumped on a plane and went to Italy to stop him. He finally settled on stepping out into the sunlight at noon. The Volturi would never let him live if he showed himself glittering to humans. I got there just in time to stop him, but the Volturi saw what he was planning on doing and took us prisoner. They debated on whether or not to kill me, since I knew of vampires' existence. But Alice said she'd had a vision of me becoming a vampire. She said she'd bite me herself."

"Please don't let this ruin your image of me, Charlie," Alice begged, eyes crinkled in pain.

Charlie pressed his lips together, but nodded at Bella to continue.

"The Volturi believed her and let us go. We came home, I lied to you, got _extremely _grounded, Jacob told on me about the motorcycles, and the punishment got worse. Jacob and I quit being friends. Finally, one day at school, a day that Alice had been assigned to baby sit me when Edward went hunting, Jake came to the school on his motorcycle and told me to get on. I did, and we hung out at his place for a while, that is until he fell asleep.

"When he woke up, we took a walk, and we talked. Jake thought he'd be _cute _and kiss me, but I was really mad and punched him. I broke my knuckles, as you can remember. Alice had a vision of Victoria coming back to kill me with an army of newly created vampires, or newborns. So Jasper started training the Cullens and the wolves to fight, and we set up a tent in the mountain. Jacob stayed for awhile, but then he had to leave to go fight. Before he did, though, I asked him to kiss me…because he said he'd get himself killed if I didn't."

"You threatened suicide if Bella didn't kiss you?" Charlie asked in disbelief, staring at me.

"Um…well not in those words…" I mumbled, embarrassed. "I mean…"

Charlie held up a hand. "I didn't say it wasn't brilliant," he said, a small smile breaking over his face.

Bella sighed in exasperation. "Dad! Do not encourage him!"

"Sorry, Bells." Charlie chuckled, and then coughed. "Go on."

"Thank you! Anyway, after he left, Victoria came to us when only Seth, Edward and I were there. She came after me, but between Seth and Edward, she was dead pretty soon.

"Everybody killed the newborns quickly, too. But one got a hold of Jake and hurt him pretty badly. That's why he was mangled up, not because of a motorcycle accident. But shape shifters heal really fast, so in a couple of days he was better. After that, he ran away…well, because I was hurting him too much. He came back to see my wedding though…anyway, I found out I was pregnant with Ness…." She cleared her throat in emotion "…Nessie, on my honeymoon. Edward brought me back, but I was getting big too fast. He and Carlisle wanted me to abort for my own safety, but Rosalie and I wouldn't let them.

"Nessie was strong though. She broke my bones a lot, and bruised me up some. I kept getting weaker, and I was dying. But Jacob had an idea. He thought that maybe since Nessie's dad was a vampire, she had a vampire appetite. She needed blood. So I drank cups of blood every day-" at this, Charlie's face twisted in disgust, "-until Nessie was better fed. When she was full, she didn't hurt me as badly, and I started getting stronger. But I bent over one day, and it set off my labor. Nessie started ripping her way out of me. I almost died, and I would have if Edward hadn't bitten me. I'm…I'm a vampire, Dad."

There was silence. Charlie turned red, then purple, then…green? But he swallowed hard.

"I should've known as much, what with Jake being a werewolf," he muttered, trying to contain his horror.

"Shape shifter," I corrected absently. It was a reflex.

Bella continued. "I was afraid I wouldn't be able to see you, but I had a lot of self control. Alice had a vision that the Volturi were coming to Forks to destroy Nessie. They thought she was an immortal child, a child that that's been bitten by a vampire. They came and checked her out, realized that she was okay, and left."

I knew Bella was leaving a lotout of the story, but unless she wanted Charlie hanging around for _hours _then she needed to hurry it up.

"I'll take it from here," Edward said. "This morning, Nessie was kidnapped by two vampires, Simon and Hannah. They have very dangerous gifts, so we have to think out a plan before we go searching for her. We will try our hardest to get her home, and I'll be damned if we don't, but we have another problem currently. Billy was attacked by Jared while he was a shape shifter. He really hurt him, almost killed him. Carlisle had to bite him and change him into a vampire. He's out cold upstairs, as he will be for a little over two days. He's changing right now."

Charlie's face was utterly, absolutely blank. I had a feeling that this would take a while to sink in.


	5. Chapter 5: Adjusting

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns the Twilight franchise, not TranquilGuardian...**

A/N: Here it is; the second chapter, as promised! I know I may be hated a bit after the whole 'Billy being a vampire' thing, since he was so against it in the books or whatever, but I wanted to shake things up! Anyway, I knew he'd be getting kind of old, and I didn't want to kill him off. :o Enjoy!

**CHAPTER FIVE: ADJUSTING**

"That's it, unless you count the fact that when we get Ness back I'm going to propose to her," I said, grinning like a little kid.

Charlie's jaw hit the ground…as did everyone else's. I'd forgotten…_no one_ new about that little detail.

I saw Edward biting the inside of his cheek, making a pained face.

"You won't tell anyone about all of this, will you, Dad?" Bella asked.

Charlie numbly shook his head. "That's a lot of information to take in at once," he mumbled. Then he glared at me. "And if you even think about proposing to my grandbaby, me and you are going to have a serious talk, capishe?" he said, making us all laugh.

It really helped; the mood needed to be lightened a little.

Charlie smiled briefly, but then a tired look crossed his face. "Can I go up and see Billy?" he whispered.

Edward nodded. "It may be the last time you ever get to see him; he probably won't have the amazing self restraint that Bella had," he said grimly.

Charlie took a deep breath and hauled himself up, and then bent over coughing. "If I don't get better soon, you all might have to bite _me_," he rasped, making a weak attempt at a joke. I didn't find it very funny.

"Aww, Dad, don't say that," Bella groaned. Taking his arm, she led him upstairs.

I didn't follow; I didn't want to see my old man like that again. It had been hard enough seeing it the first time.

A few minutes later, Bella and Charlie came back down. Charlie's eyes were red and puffy, and he wiped at them in embarrassment.

He sat down. "So, you say you glitter in the sun? Let's see it," he said, changing the subject.

Bella rolled her eyes, but went to stand by the window. Pulling up the shades, she turned to look at Charlie. Rainbows glinted off of her arms and face.

"Freaky," Charlie commented.

Bella giggled. "Funny, that's exactly what Jake said when _he_ first saw me sparkle," she said.

I suddenly cringed, feeling fire slide down by arms, chest, and back. I felt red hot boiling anger peak inside of me. I shook insanely as I realized what was happening. I was having one of those rare moments where my anger got out of control. I tensed my muscles, not knowing what my body would decide to do. It might attack.

"Jake, what's wrong?" Bella asked, oblivious to the silent war I was fighting against myself.

That one question gave me an excuse to open my mouth, which I _really_ shouldn't have done.

"EVERYTHING!" I exploded. "My girlfriend, my _soul mate, _was kidnapped not six hours ago, my DAD is upstairs turning into a reeking bloodsucker as we speak, and you people are down here laughing and sharing memories?!"

Bella gave me a sympathetic look. She knew that when I had these moments, I literally wasn't in control of what I said or did. I was only in control of my mind, which was currently screaming at Edward, '_Get Charlie back!_' over and over.

"Come on, calm down, Jake," Jasper coaxed. He frowned, and a wave of calm washed over me as he worked his gift. I squeezed my eyes shut as my head pounded; for some reason, whenever he fixed my mood, it did that. Maybe something to do with the fact that Jasper had once been a human, and was now a vampire, but was never a shape shifter, so he didn't have the connection? I didn't know. It was something I'd heard Alice say before. That's why she couldn't see my future.

"I'm under control," I said finally, opening my eyes. Spots popped before them.

"Are you sure?" Bella asked, keeping her body firmly planted in front of Charlie's.

"Yeah," I said, shaking my head quickly to clear it.

Charlie looked horrified, but didn't say anything. "I'll never get you mythological creatures," he said.

I couldn't help it; I smiled.

He stood. "I need to get home. You all find Nessie quick, hear me? And keep real close. Since I'll probably never be aloud to see Billy again, tell him he's a great man and a great friend, and I'll guarantee he's gonna make a great vampire. Also, tell him he's a big JERK for not letting me in on the secret!"

"I hear ya, Charlie. Take care and I'll come visit you soon," I said.

Bella kissed his cheek, and he walked slowly out the door. He leaned on the frame for a moment, coughed, and then shuffled out.

I stared Bella in the eye. "Tell me the truth and don't spare my feelings," I began.

Bella nodded. "I'm listening."

"Am I ever gonna get to see Billy again? I smell like a human."

Bella sighed. "I just don't know, Jake. And…you don't smell like a human. You smell like what I had for lunch yesterday."

"And what was that?" I asked.

"Mountain lion," she admitted.

"Oh, now you're comparing me to _cats_? That's a low blow, Bells, even for you," I teased.

Bella grinned. "Just saying. Oh, and mountain lions stink, just to let you know."

I rolled my eyes. "And the insults keep coming. First I'm a cat, now I stink, what's next? You don't smell like a basket of roses yourself." It was true; vampires' scents burned my nose. It was the equivalent of a human huffing bleach mixed with pixy stix.

Bella pretended to growl, and crouched in front of me. "Just remember, I drink wolves' blood," she said, raising one eyebrow in an attempt at being scary.

I groaned, plopping down on the couch. "Just remember, I don't care. You're no threat to me," I said, closing my eyes.

I felt Bella sit down next to me; she laid her head on my shoulder. "I know," she mumbled.

I fell asleep after that, pure exhaustion and grief kicking in.

For the next couple of days, nothing much happened. We didn't find Nessie, even though everyone had gone out searching. I think Edward, Bella, and I usually went out for the longest shifts; the extra running didn't bother them, but my muscles ached and I was _always_ exhausted. I didn't mind, of course. If it had brought Nessie home, I would've jumped off a cliff or let myself starve.

Exactly three days after Billy had been bitten, Alice started screaming about him waking up any second. It jolted me out of a light slumber. The Cullens immediately started heading upstairs, but Bella stopped them.

"I think…only Carlisle and I should go," she said. "Billy's going to be very confused, and he recognizes our faces the most."

"What about me?" I protested.

Bella bit her lip. "Give me your shirt," she said.

"_What_?" I demanded.

"Give me your shirt. I'll have Billy sniff it, and if he can handle the scent, I'll bring him around you."

Understanding, I quickly yanked it over my head and tossed it to her. She caught it with ease.

"Forty five seconds, people," Alice said impatiently.

"Jasper, listen for Billy's mood and calm him down if you need to," Carlisle said.

Jasper nodded.

Bella took a deep breath. "Its show time," she murmured, racing up the stairs with Carlisle.

We started listening.

Not too long later, we heard Bella say, "Billy? Billy, its Bella."

"No, really?" a musical yet gruff sounding voice answered. "You always been this pretty, Bells? You look _real_ pretty. Must be these new eyes."

Bella giggled. "I know this must be confusing for you, Billy. But remember, we're here; we just look a little different to you. Everything will be okay."

"I'm not one for mushy emotion, but give me a hug, kid," Billy said.

Bella laughed, there was a second of silence, and then Billy spoke.

"Where's my boy? I owe Jake such a huge apology."

Bella was silent.

"What?" Billy asked, sounding irritated.

Carlisle spoke. "We weren't sure whether it would be exactly _safe _to bring Jacob around you, what with you being a newborn and all…"

"Don't worry, Billy, they did the same thing to me," Bella murmured. She must've held out my shirt, because Billy said, "Why are you carrying around one of Jake's shirts?"

"This is going to sound a little weird, but I need you to sniff it."

"_Sniff_ it?" Billy repeated in disbelief.

"Yeah. It has Jake's scent all over it. If you can handle the _shirt's_ smell…" Bella trailed off.

"Then I'll be able to handle the real thing. Gotcha," Billy finished.

There was about six seconds of silence, then Billy said, "That…makes my throat hurt."

"That's it?! No growling, hissing, _nothing_?" Carlisle asked in disbelief.

I could picture the glare that Bella must have given him. "Oh, I'm so sorry, Billy, of course you have to be thirsty. Let's hunt."

"I wanna see Jake first. I didn't massacre his shirt, and I don't think I'm gonna massacre him…God, it feels good to use these legs again."

"Jake? Can I bring him down?" Bella asked warily.

I clenched my fists in preparation for whatever he might look like. "Yeah!"

"Okay, Billy, take it slow and easy. You haven't used your legs in a while, so…"

There was a whoosh of wind, and my new father was standing in the doorway.

I couldn't help it; I took a step back. It felt like I'd been punched. The man looked nothing like my dad, and I wanted to cry. I mean, sure, he still had the familiar Native American tint to his face and features, but his skin was several shades lighter. His shiny black hair lay around his shoulders, like always, but it didn't fit his new and unfamiliar body. Bright red eyes pierced me, filled with sorrow and compassion. I wanted to rip Jared's throat out.

"Son," Billy whispered.

The sight of seeing Billy on his feet clogged my throat up. He hadn't stood since I was thirteen.

Bella and Carlisle came down to stand behind him.

Billy zipped to my side and very deliberately sniffed my bare shoulder. "You smell, son," he said.

Even though it was a fairly innocent and joking comment, my anger boiled. Bloodsucker….

I kept my arms folded across my chest while Billy circled me from every angle.

"You smell bad, Jake. Your shirt smelled better," Billy repeated.

I tried to keep a strong emotionless mask on my face as I began to speak. "You aren't my dad," I whispered. "My _dad _wouldn't circle me as if he were a shark after his prey. My_ dad _can't stand, let alone flit down the stairs like the bloodsucker he is. My _dad_ doesn't have red eyes and pale skin. You, Billy, are not my dad." I dashed out the front door, fighting back tears.

'_Why the hell did I say that?_' I thought to myself. I didn't know.

I didn't realize where my feet were carrying me until I was standing on Charlie's front porch, shaking. It wasn't from the cold. I pounded on the door until he answered. When he did, I shoved past him without waiting for him to say hello. I threw myself down on the couch, my face buried in my arms. I breathed in the soothing smells of Charlie's house. This place had been my refuge when I was a kid.

"What's wrong, Jacob?" Charlie asked softly.

"Billy woke up today. He's a totally different person. I said some really mean things to him," I mumbled.

I felt Charlie's hand on my back.

"Where's your shirt?" he murmured. "It's thirty five degrees out."

"I don't get cold, Charlie. And my shirt's at the Cullens'. Dad thought it smelled _so _good…he can keep it."

Charlie sighed. "Should I go talk to him?" he asked.

"It's your neck. He could snap at any moment."

"Well, then, I'm taking my chances. I'm not letting this ruin you and Billy's relationship." Then he hesitated. "But all the Cullens would jump the gun to protect me if Billy_ did _snap though, right?"

"Duh."

"Then stop moping and get in the car, boy. We're going to the Cullens. And I'd listen if I were you…I'm in Chief Swan mode."

I smiled half heartedly for Charlie's sake and stood. Whether I liked it or not, I was being dragged back to the Cullens'. I knew I should've gone to Sue's…


	6. Chapter 6: The Trip

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Saga or its characters.**

A/N: So sorry for not having this out sooner. :/ I had a band thing yesterday morning and had to be boarding the bus at 4:00...A.M...so, yeah, I was too tired to yesterday. And the night before, I had to get to bed at a decent time so I wouldn't be the Walking Dead the next morning. (I was anyway...-_-) So yeah, much apologies. Anyway, I hope you like the chapter and feel free to review or favorite or follow or whatever the heck you want! lol. Tell me what you liked, what you weren't as fond of, what you were confused about, what you had for breakfast, your favorite movie, anything. . (: Enjoy!

**CHAPTER SIX: THE TRIP**

The ride back to the Cullens' house was spent in silence. I had my arms crossed across my chest like a moody six year old boy who'd gotten his hand smacked for trying to steal a cookie from the cookie jar.

For some reason, I'd counted on Charlie to let me act spoiled for just a little while, bag on my dad, but _no_. He had to be the sensible one who confronted the problem. Man, I could tell he was Bella's dad.

Charlie almost drove past the turn off to the house, and I considered letting him, but I had a change of heart at the last second. I didn't want to take an unscheduled trip to Port Angeles. _Especially _with Charlie.

"Turn's here," I mumbled.

Charlie flicked on his turn signal. "I knew that," he said defensively. He ripped the car to the right, and I slammed into his side.

I steadied myself on the dashboard. "Right."

I dimly remembered when I was seven; I'd come crying to Charlie that_ just_ because I had taken apart Bella's lego sculpture, she'd chucked a handful of the plastic blocks at my face. Charlie'd taken no nonsense from me; he'd marched me up to Bella and made us hug and make up. Why did he always have to be the calm logical one?

We pulled into the Cullens' driveway and got out.

The second Charlie reached the doorway, Edward was standing in the frame. He grabbed his shoulders and spun him around, back towards the car. "No, Charlie, go home!" he hissed, looking anxiously towards the woods.

Charlie yanked out of Edward's grip, facing him again. "Where's Billy?" he demanded.

Edward shifted his weight so that he blocked even more of the entrance. "Bella took him hunting! They'll be back anytime! _Go_!"

Charlie put his hands on his hips. "I know you ain't telling me what to do, boy," he said.

Edward made an agonized face. "_Please_, Charlie! I care about your safety, and I really need you to leave!"

"No."

Edward took a deep breath. "You're making me angry, Charlie," he said quietly. Whether he was attempting to be intimidating or was really pissed off, I didn't know.

"I wasn't put on this earth to keep you happy, Edward. If you're mad, fine, but I am this boy's second dad, and he needs to make up with Billy, says _me_. Chief Swan. I can go get my badge out of the cruiser if it makes it more official."

Edward let out a quick sharp breath in annoyance. "That won't be necessary, _Chief Swan_. Just…come in and sit down."

And with that he breezed out the door, yelling Bella's name.

Alice flounced over to me from where I'd sat down on the couch that had also been my bed for most of the last eight years. "You hurt Billy's feelings," she commented.

I didn't respond.

"Fine, be a negative Nelly. I say life is a ride; enjoy it."

"Hon, he's kind of mad right now," Charlie said.

Alice looked at him in exasperation. "I _know _that, Charlie. I'm just trying to cheer him up."

"Amazing job," Jasper murmured teasingly.

Alice stuck her tongue out at him. "Emotions come easy for you. Cheer him up if you're so good," she said.

"I think if I messed around with his emotions right now, he'd come up off that couch after me," Jasper replied.

"Got that right," I growled, burrowing my butt deeper into the cushions.

"See?"

Alice giggled.

Emmett sighed lazily from his chair, Rosalie perched on his lap. "I swear, I didn't use to let the chicks boss me around," he murmured to himself.

"Why don't you ever let me sit on _your _lap?" Alice complained, looking at Jasper.

Jasper gestured to the living room. "There are plenty of chairs around here. I'm not one of them. Anyway, you've never asked. We've never exactly had the...passionate relationship that Rose and Emmett have."

"We can change that," Alice breathed mischievously, making everyone crack up. 'Alice' and 'seductive' just didn't go together.

All the while, I was staring straight ahead, scowling at the world. I knew every other day I would be laughing with the rest of them, but I was in a bad mood.

Esme jumped up. "They're returning. I can hear them. Keep Charlie behind us."

Hearing this, Edward stepped inside the doorway from where he'd been hollering.

All the vampires around me leapt to their feet.

"Charlie, get against that wall," Esme commanded, pointing. Her eyes never left the open door.

Grumbling, Charlie stood up and went to stand against the wall.

"Oh, Jake, here's your shirt," Alice said, tossing me a crumpled up ball of material.

I yanked it back over my head, scowling.

Carlisle, Bella, and Billy appeared in the doorway. My dad's hair was windswept, and he was grinning. When he saw me, his smile disappeared. I stared him in the eye.

But then I realized he wasn't looking_ at_ me. He was looking _past_ me, over my left shoulder. Bella and Carlisle's eyes followed his.

That's when Bella screamed. "_Jacob_! Oh my God, get him out of here!" she cried, grabbing a hold of Billy.

Billy held up a hand to silence her. He started taking slow, deliberate breaths, like he was testing himself. Other than a slight wince, there was no reaction. "Charlie. How good to see you," he said, sounding like it was anything _but_ good.

"Billy, you're a real_ jerk_, you know that?! I'm your _best friend_!You didn't drop one hint about the whole vampire thing."

Billy's eyes went huge. "He knows?" he whispered.

"He knows," I said with finality.

Billy looked at me when I spoke. "Look Jake, I'm sorry. It wasn't my fault, I wanted to live and this was the only…"

I cut him off. "It's not your fault, I know. It's mine. I overreacted." I said.

Billy sighed in relief. "You still love me?" he grinned.

I nodded. "Yeah, a lot," I admitted.

Billy breezed up to me and gave me a hug. I could tell he was holding his breath.

"Just don't sniff me anymore," I said seriously.

Billy laughed. "Deal," he said.

Bella cleared her throat. "I'm going looking for Nessie. I'm not coming home until I find her. I didn't want to say anything until I knew if Billy's self control would hold, but it obviously will."

Edward didn't try to stop her. "I'm coming with you," he said immediately.

"No. I want Jacob to come with me," Bella argued gently.

I looked at her in surprise. "Me?" I asked.

"Yes, you. I know how much it hurts you to be away from her."

I blinked. "Okay," I said. I mean, it _did_ hurt. I was starting to get those nauseating head aches that a shape shifter got whenever he was away from his imprintee for too long, but I figured what with Ness being Daddy's girl and all, Bella would want _him_.

"We're leaving today," Bella said. She pulled a piece of paper out of her pocket and handed it to me.

I unfolded it in confusion and looked at it.

What We Need

Tent (for Jacob)

Changes of clothes

Human food? (Will Jake hunt?)

Brush-that sort of stuff

Money?

Fast car?

"I'll hunt. We don't need food. And I'm willing to travel on foot if you are. We might need money, like if we need plane tickets or something," I said.

Bella nodded. "We should probably take passports, too."

"Yeah," I agreed.

Bella took the piece of paper back from me and jotted down those items.

Edward looked rather ticked off that he wasn't aloud to come, but he kept quiet.

"We might find her!" Bella said breathlessly. There was a glimmer of hope on her pale face.

Billy had been staring at us, but finally he spoke. "Nessie's gone?" he demanded.

I shifted my weight. "About that…"

Billy held up a hand. "Just do what it takes to get that baby home safe and sound," he replied.

"That's the plan," Edward said firmly.

"Jake, I wanna go…now. We don't have time for you to go home and pack," Bella said.

I understood. I didn't even _want_ to go pack. Now that the opportunity was here, I wanted to jump on it.

"He can use my clothes," Emmett said. He blurred upstairs, coming back down with a small bag. "There are six changes in there. If you need more, you're going to have to start re using," he said.

I nodded.

"And I already have my clothes," Bella said, pointing to a suit case I hadn't noticed before. "I just need the other stuff."

Carlisle went to Bella and pushed something into her hand. "There's 50,000 dollars there. Use it wisely," he said.

I felt my jaw drop, but Bella nodded grimly. 50,000. Wow. I never _would _get used to how casually these guys threw money around.

"And here," Alice said, handing me a tote.

I opened it and there were shampoos, brushes, two towels, two lofas, makeup, and two toothbrushes with toothpaste. Moving the towels, I saw a pack of hair ties and a tube of men's deodorant.

"Jeez, Alice," I said, showing the bag to Bella, who rolled her eyes.

"I can't have you looking and smelling like a bunch of misfits," Alice said, crossing her arms and pouting. I knew she meant me. Who ever heard of a _vampire_ smelling bad? Besides to shape shifters, of course.

Then she frowned and took off, whizzing out of the room. Within a second she was back, and she handed me a roll of toilet paper. "I forgot, you need this," she said.

Blushing, I stuffed it into the bag.

Esme handed me yet _another_ bag, this one lumpy looking. "The tent," she said.

"I didn't realize all this stuff would have to be carried. Maybe we _should_ take a car," Bella said, biting her lip.

"No. I'll play pack mule, just this once," I said. "A car can't exactly get into the woods, and that's primarily where we need to be."

Bella smiled. "Jake, you don't have to-"

"Oh, be quiet. I have a _huge_ back as a wolf, and I plan on using it," I said.

Billy grinned. "He's my boy, all right," he said.

"The passports are in the bag with my clothes. Let's go then," Bella said.

Edward kissed her, a little too passionately for public, if you ask me, and then hugged me. Carlisle hugged us both. Esme kissed Bella's forehead, then looked at me. "Bend down," she commanded.

I did, and she planted a kiss on my forehead. Alice hugged Bella tightly, then promptly jumped up and kissed the tip of my nose. Jasper hugged Bella and patted my back. Emmett ruffled Bella's hair and then buried me in a bear hug. I felt my bones creaking, and I deftly pulled away, chuckling.

Rosalie enveloped Bella in a hug, then waved half heartedly at me and said, "Bring Nessie home." Good old Rosalie.

"I guess this is goodbye then," Bella murmured.

She looked at Charlie, who hugged her. "Love ya, Bells. Be careful and bring my grandbaby home."

Charlie shook my hand, trying to be manly. I rolled my eyes and squeezed him tight.

"Take care of Bella, Jake. Make sure she stays out of trouble," he said quietly.

I nodded solemnly. "I will. I have before," I said.

I hadn't meant for it to sound mean, but Edward growled under his breath. I met his eyes apologetically, mouthing _Sorry_.

Billy hugged Bella. "Be careful, kid," he said.

"I will, Billy. Jake and I will steer clear of any danger."

Billy hugged me tightly. "Come back, son," he whispered.

"I will, Dad," I murmured back.

The thought of never coming back made my spine shiver. I couldn't imagine it; the thought of dying by the hands of a vampire. Over the last few years, vampires had become my friends, but I still wasn't fond of the idea of one beating me at a fight. I knew it would come to one; the concept was unavoidable. They weren't going to give Nessie over the easy way.

Bella took a breath. "Now we leave," she said, her voice trembling. I knew she was thinking the same thing I was.

I took off my shoes, looked around me, shrugged, and stripped down to my boxers. Didn't matter anyway. They'd all seen me naked before. Not by my choice, of course. I turned into a wolf, fire sliding down my spine. I went to stand by Bella. Her shaking hand stroked my fur once, then she went to work tying the bags to my back.

When she was finished, she swallowed, and then flitted out the door without another word, into the woods.

The part about Bella's list was actually written in Bella's font from the novels when it was on Word, but it changed it when I copied and pasted. Sorry. -_-


	7. Chapter 7: Bitten

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Twilight Saga; credit of settings and most of the characters to Stephanie Meyer.**

A/N: Just another chapter :) I don't know if the way some of the events in this chapter play out or are described are consistent with the way Stephanie Meyer's mind has decided they would work, but I have warned you that I've had some small inaccuracies so if this is wrong, don't shoot me. . I've been informed that my chapters are drama filled, and yes, I would agree with that lol. It's just my writing style. It's not for everyone, and I'm sorry about that. :/ Not every single chapter will have a life changing event, promise. :) A few are sweet, silly, etc. But to the ones who I manage to entertain, thanks for sticking around through the first six weird little chapters! Enjoy the seventh weird little chapter! (I am so going to be hated for a few things in this chapter...just know that I do not support them!)

**CHAPTER SEVEN: BITTEN**

I gave the Cullens a parting look, and then confusedly followed her. She was standing a few feet deep in the woods, her eyes squeezed shut.

I nuzzled her cheek, and she looked up. "Sorry, Jake," she mumbled. "If I had to say goodbye one more time, I was going to change my mind about leaving."

I nodded in understanding.

"I just…don't even know if we're going to live! Saying goodbye to my family like that…not knowing if I was ever gonna see them again…it was the worst thing ever!"

I nosed her, leaning slightly against her body in an effort at a hug. She understood, and threw her arms around my neck, burying her face in my fur. We stayed like that for a long time.

Finally, Bella pulled away. "We need to get going," she said.

I dipped my head in a nod.

"We're just going to have to follow the scent, seeing as we have no idea where Nessie and the others went. Can you sniff it out?"

I rolled my eyes in an _of course I can _kind of way.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath through my nose and started sorting through the smells. Rotten bark, dirt, squirrels, me, the Cullens, and from somewhere, a bonfire that someone was roasting hotdogs over. Mmm…hotdogs…I forced myself to keep sniffing. Rabbits, a creek, skunks, humans, flowers, an owl, then finally…Coco Channel no.5—Nessie's perfume. Just a faint waft, but it was definitely her. I'd know that smell anywhere. Upon closer inspection, I realized I could also smell the sharp scent of the two vampires who had taken her.

I nodded my head east.

"Okay," Bella said firmly, and we set off.

I followed the scent for a long time, until the sun was setting. But the weight of all the bags was starting to register with my body, and I was getting exhausted. Bella noticed me lagging farther and farther behind, and finally she stopped. "Do we need to set up camp for the night?" she asked.

I nodded gratefully, and she came and untied the bags from my back. Throwing me a pair of Emmett's shorts, she turned around so I could dress. I turned into a human and pulled the shorts from between my teeth. I put them on, keeping an eye on Bella the whole time. Like I said, she'd seen me naked once before, but it wasn't by choice. When you have to turn into a human because all of your bones are broken, it's kind of unavoidable.

"Okay," I said, and Bella turned around.

Boredom taking over, I started pacing as Bella set the tent up. My muscles hurt badly, but there was no way I could sit still. I already felt guilty for not pushing myself to go longer.

I was turned away when the force equivalent to that of a bulldozer plowed me into the trees. My immediate instinct was to turn into a wolf, but Bella's lips were urgent at my ears. "Don't move," she breathed.

I stayed sprawled on my stomach with Bella flattened out on my back.

"I smell a vampire," she whispered in my ear. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled. Slowly, Bella rolled off my back and onto the ground beside me.

"I'd suggest making no sudden movements," said a voice from behind me.

Bella clenched her teeth together.

"Female, stand," the voice said.

"And don't turn around," a second voice quipped.

Bella glanced at me and stood, keeping her back to the strangers.

"Male, stand," the first vampire commanded.

I stood slowly, keeping turned away as well.

"Put your hands behind your heads, and do _not_ turn around."

Bella and I did.

"It's a vampire and a werewolf," the second vampire said.

I wasn't about to correct him. Suddenly, the difference between a werewolf and a shape shifter didn't seem that important.

Cold hands patted me down. "One wrong move and I'll bite ya, wolf boy," said the vampire behind me. Apparently, he knew that vampire venom was lethal to shape shifters.

I shuddered, goose bumps rising on my flesh.

"Now turn around," said the second vampire.

We slowly did, keeping our hands behind our heads.

The two vampires in front of us were average height, and, for vampires, average looking. What terrified me was the evil look in their eyes, the desire to kill splashed plainly on their faces.

"Male, step forward," said the first vampire, the one with blonde hair.

Swallowing, I did.

"Look," said the fat vampire to the blondie. "He's shaking in his boots."

Blondie laughed.

"I'm not scared of you," I growled, clenching my fists behind my head.

Fatty smiled. "Oh really?"

I felt stinging pain, then realized, dumbstruck, that I'd smacked myself. What the hell?

I heard Bella gasp beside me.

"Motion control. A very useful talent indeed," said Blondie.

"What do you want with us?" Bella hissed, edging closer to me.

"Entertainment," said Fatty.

"What do you mean by that?" I asked.

"Just let us control you for a little while, and then we'll leave," stated Blondie. "It gets so boring, having powers such as this and not having anyone to experiment on."

I glared at him. "You'll leave? No catch?" I growled.

"No catch," Blondie said.

I sighed, turning to Bella. "What choice do we have?" I murmured.

"None," Bella said dully. "Fine. Control us. But leave afterwards."

"Oh, goody," said Fatty. "I _do_ love a good show. What should we make them do?"

Blondie grinned.

Without the slightest of warnings, I was down doing pushups on the rough ground. Looking over, I saw Bella doing the chicken dance with a miserable expression on her face.

After about 50 speed pushups, I stopped, of course not being able to put my arms out to break my fall. My chin bounced off the dirt and I bit my tongue. I was _super_ glad that I didn't draw blood. Blood definitely wouldn't help in this situation.

I started ripping chunks of my hair out, my nails digging into the scalp. Then I was sucking my thumb, after that, the hula. Bella was doing an Irish jig, then jumping jacks, then banging her head off a tree.

Before I knew what was going on, I'd wrapped my arms tightly around Bella's body and was kissing her. _Kissing_ her! And what's worse, she wasn't resisting! Her arms were around my neck. She was actually getting into it, but I knew it was Blondie over there making her feel that. She crammed herself tighter against my body, but I saw a glimpse of her expression. It was guilt and pain. "Cooperate," I whispered against her mouth. "Don't piss them off."

When we were finally aloud to break away, I stumbled backwards with a gasp of shock and anger. The anger wasn't directed at Bella, of course. I'd felt nothing when we'd kissed, since I was imprinted. I could've kissed _Emmett_ and felt more. I was angry at the two smart assed vampires who thought that seeing us mortified at ourselves was _funny_.

"Okay, don't you think they've had enough?" Fatty asked, seeing Bella bow her head in shame and begin to sob. I went to put my arm around her shoulders in comfort, and she flinched away from me by reflex. I saw red. Those vampires had done this. They'd made my best friend feel agonizing guilt. They'd made her feel like it was all her fault.

Blondie smiled. "Not yet."

Fatty started walking towards me. He shot Blondie a look. "Stop that. I hate it when you control me."

Blondie laughed insanely, an evil look crossing his face.

Fatty gripped my wrist in his hand. "I said stop! I don't want to do this." He leaned down over my wrist.

Bella screamed, but I was paralyzed in fear. I couldn't move.

He bit me.

Almost immediately, I crumpled to the ground. I'd expected agonizing pain, but all I got was a numbing tired feeling.

"We'll leave now," said Blondie. Fatty cussed him all the way out.

A weird calm had come over me. All I knew was that I was exhausted; I needed to close my eyes…

"Wait! What am I supposed to do?!" Bella screamed, quaking in fear. "You can't let him die! He's…he's my best friend! Please!"

Fatty appeared. "Try to suck out the venom," he said quickly.

"I _can't_! I've only been a vampire for eight years, I don't have the control! I'll _kill_ him!"

I realized, vaguely, that the bite on my wrist wasn't healing like it should've been, but I didn't care…I was so tired…

Fatty shrugged. "That's all I can offer. Sorry about that. He seemed like a good guy, despite being a werewolf and all." He flitted away.

My eyes fell shut.

Bella was at my side in an instant, shaking me. "No, Jake! Stay with me," she sobbed.

"Chill, Bells…just…gonna get…some sleep," I murmured. I opened my eyes to pat her knee.

"No! Stay awake!" Bella cried frantically.

"Just…gonna get…some sleep," I repeated, closing my eyes. Dizziness...a numbing feeling was spreading through my limbs. If this is what it felt like to die…I was okay with it…

I felt Bella's mouth on my wrist.

Slowly I became more and more aware, less tired. Finally, I could sit up.

I gasped. Bella still hadn't stopped sucking on my wrist. She clung on, making small sucking noises. If it hadn't been my _wrist_, it would've been cute.

I shifted my arm lightly. "Hey Bells, you can quit," I said.

There was absolutely no response.

Taking a big risk, I stuck two fingers into her mouth, prying her jaws open. I pulled my arm away, which was still bleeding heavily. "Damn, this should've healed already," I murmured, wiping my venom covered fingers in the grass.

Bella glanced up, holding her breath. She rifled through a bag and pulled out rubbing alcohol and bandages. "This'll sting," she said, gesturing to my hand.

I laid my hand in her palm, and she poured the liquid on my wrist. "Ugh," I groaned.

Bella bandaged my hand and wrist, and then let out her breath. "That was close," she said.

"My wrist should've healed by now," I replied flatly.

Bella shook her head. "A vampire got a hold of you. Venom screws everything like that up."

I nodded. "I…I can't believe…" I stopped in embarrassment.

Bella looked up, taking a deep breath. "What's done is done. You don't know…if we'd resisted, they could've killed us both. It…it was probably for the best."

I sighed. "I need sleep," I said, changing the subject. I felt my cheeks burning; I was so ashamed and embarrassed. I'd cheated on Nessie. She'd cheated on Edward. I knew neither of us could help it, but I _also_ knew that we both felt responsible.

Bella saw my blush, bit her lip, and quickly finished pitching the tent.


	8. Chapter 8: Found

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

A/N: It's been a long day, today, guys, so no cute little intro or description for the chapter form me. Sorry that it's a shorter one, but I hope it's still decent to read. Enjoy. Sorry the fight scene's crappy and abrupt, I never got a good chance to go back and divulge into it. (You gotta remember I wrote this almost two years ago.) Feel free to favorite or follow. xxxxx

**CHAPTER EIGHT: FOUND**

I woke up in the morning with my wrist throbbing. It was ripped up from the vampire's teeth, and still not healing.

I sat up, rubbing my eyes.

Bella was sitting quietly in the corner of the tent, looking at a locket that held a picture of Nessie and her in the meadow from the year before. Even last year, Nessie had appeared fourteen or fifteen versus appearing eighteen now.

Bella heard me sit up and quickly tucked the locket inside her shirt, smiling at me. "Are you ready to go?" she asked.

I nodded, yawning. I couldn't wait to find my girl.

I stood up; keeping bent over as I gathered the blankets and put my shoes on. My wrist ached as I peeled the bandage off. There was no use in leaving it on; it would only burst off when I turned into a wolf. The crescent shaped cut on my wrist burned, and I moaned.

"You okay?" Bella asked cautiously, pulling her hair back and tying it.

"Never better," I said.

Bella rolled her eyes and climbed out of the tent. I followed, bumping my head on the low canvas ceiling as I did.

Once everything was packed up, we set out. Neither of us mentioned what had happened the night before. I think we were still too mortified by it. The last time we'd kissed, we'd both liked it. Now, neither of us had liked it. And Bella had kissed like a _vampire_. It had pretty freaking scary, and really rough.

The bad news was that I couldn't run nearly as fast with my hand the way it was; I limped with one paw. The good news was that Nessie's scent was stronger than ever, and it smelled like they were doubling back this way. Doubling back meant less time Jacob had to spend on his hurt paw. Doubling back meant we'd get Nessie sooner. Doubling back was _good_.

Bella stopped. "Since it smells like they're close, I need to hunt. We can fight better with all of our strength."

I nodded, wincing inwardly. I'd rather not eat an animal, but I _had_ promised I'd hunt. Stupid promises.

Bella dropped the doe carcass on the ground, wiping her mouth. I nosed mine, pulling off a chunk of meat in defeat. I'd played with it long enough; now that Bella was done, she was looking at me, waiting for me to finish. The raw meat slid down my throat, making me want to shudder. I hadn't hunted in almost eight years, not since I'd had to if I wanted Nessie to hunt. _Nessie_…The thought of her name made me eat faster.

Finally, I wiped my muzzle on the damp grass and looked up at Bella, our cue to leave. She nodded, retying the bags to my back and patting my head.

_Jeesh, Bells, I'm not an overgrown puppy…_

She took off running without warning. I caught up after about forty five seconds; the limp would've made Emmett laugh, so I was glad he wasn't around.

I whined at her questioningly.

"They're a mile ahead," she said, trying to contain her excitement and fear at the same time. She pulled all the bags off my back and set them under a tree. "We won't be needing these anymore," she said breathlessly.

I let out a little yip of joy.

Bella laughed, but shushed me. "They'll hear," she whispered.

We took off running again.

"Here's the plan. You stay close to me at first. I'll shield you. Don't immediately dive for Nessie. Go after Simon. I'll take Hannah. Once you rip Simon apart, knock Nessie out of it and go dump her at the edge of the trees, out of sight. I have matches in my pocket. Then come back and help me. Okay?"

I dipped my head.

"Good. Because they're right ahead. You're shielded."

We stopped, not even daring to breath.

_Now_, she mouthed.

We charged.

The first thing I saw when I entered the clearing was Nessie. She looked absolutely thrilled, totally jazzed, though her curly bronze hair which looked so much like her father's was knotted, her clothes were torn, and she was barefoot. Simon had his arm slung carelessly around her shoulders, and Hannah was seated on the ground at their feet.

No one saw Bella and me until I was on top of Simon, ripping his throat out. Hannah screamed and jumped up, but saw Bella and thought better of it. Simon's life ended quickly, and I was none for the worse except for a scratch in my left ear where he'd grabbed me.

Nessie screamed at me and hit my sides with her fists, yelling curse words that I had never heard around the Cullens, except from Emmett's dirty mouth. As gently as I could while still snapping her out of it, I tackled her to the ground.

Nessie blinked, and then burst into tears at the sight of me. There was no time to comfort; I grabbed her shirt in my teeth and dragged her to the darkest shadow I could find, then dropped her and raced back to help Bella. It wasn't like she needed it; she was kicking ass pretty well anyway.

Bella grabbed a handful of Hannah's hair, ripping it out. Hannah hissed at her, rubbing her head, and Bella grabbed the free arm and yanked. It came flying off, and I caught it in a rather spectacular catch if I do say so myself.

Hannah screamed in rage and pain and flew at Bella, tackling her to the ground. Bella kicked and squirmed, but Hannah had her pinned.

I jumped over and grabbed Hannah by the back of her neck and threw her off, and Bella jumped up. I kept a hold of Hannah's neck as Bella ripped off her other arm. I finished the job, biting through Hannah's neck in a clean sweep.

Nessie squealed and came scrambling out of the shadows, straight into her mother's arms. Bella stroked her hair and bawled as I carried the bodies of the vampires into a pile. After kissing Nessie's face at least fifty times in rapid succession, Bella released her to burn Simon and Hannah.

She threw the match onto the pile, and the thick sweet incense of burning vampire filled the air.

Nessie threw herself at me, kissing my fur over and over, stroking me and crying. I nuzzled her, whining. "I-I'm so…sorry!" she cried.

I looked at her questioningly.

"I called you a mongrel, I stood by while Hannah hurt you, I left you, I…"

I silenced her, licking her from chin to hairline.

Bella came running, hugging Nessie tightly. "You're…never…leaving my…side...again!" she sobbed.

Nessie sniffled, and it was only then that I realized how human she really looked. She was wiping tears out of her chocolate fudge brown eyes, and her cheeks were flushed. Blood pulsed through her veins, she had a heartbeat. She could still get sick. She _did_ slightly sparkle in the sunlight, but not enough to keep her inside on a sunny day. She was warm. Though she was a little faster and stronger then a human, she was no where near as fast or strong as a vampire. She did drink blood, but, if she chose, she could live and be healthy entirely off of human food. She could still bleed, get cut…I realized just how fragile the amazing life clutching me was.

Nessie saw the gash on my paw and gasped. "Were you bitten, Jake?" she whispered.

I sheepishly nodded, the bite bringing back…_other_ memories.

"How are you alive?!"

"I had to suck the venom out," Bella said grimly.

Nessie made a face. "Gross," she said, making Bella laugh.

"Ness, two major things have happened since you've been gone," Bella said abruptly, as Nessie scrambled onto my back for the long ride back.

"Yeah?" Nessie prompted cautiously.

"Well…Billy's a vampire, first of all."

Nessie's heels dug into my sides unconsciously. "A vampire?" she whispered.

"Yeah. Jared attacked him."

I winced, and Nessie felt the muscles bunch. She patted me, burying her face in my fur. "What's the second thing?"

"Charlie knows about everything," Bella said.

"_Everything?!_"

"Honey, _must_ you repeat everything I say? Yes, he knows everything. He knows there's vampires, and that we_ are_ ones."

"Wow."

"Yeah."

"Guys, I've missed you so much."

I reached my head back and licked her, narrowly missing a large spruce tree.

Bella grinned. "We've missed you too, hon. We've missed you too."


	9. Chapter 9: All About The Dogs

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Twilight Series or Characters**

A/N: Alright, I'm just going to start this one off by stating that I might lose some readers after this chapter. :/ Just know that while I do support marriage equality wholeheartedly, the intention of a specific part in this chapter was not to make a character gay. This character is not gay. Not even in the fanfiction. Just thought I'd state that. Also, there will be no hints of a relationship between the two male characters mentioned, this is just a part of the fic itself, will not evolve into anything, etc. Also, I know that imprinting can only occur at first sight, and that one of the purposes stated is to make stronger, healthier wolves. Once again, it is a fanfiction for a reason. There will be inaccuracies. So don't go getting all offended or anything, especially when *spoiler alert* I'm fixing the whole situation in a later chapter anyway. Take a deep breath and enjoy. ;)

**CHAPTER NINE: ALL ABOUT THE DOGS**

We wanted to make it back to the Cullens' house as soon as possible, so, after we grabbed the bags, we ran all through the day and through half the night as well. Nessie eventually fell asleep, leaning forward onto the back of my neck, one arm dangling freely. Twice, we had to stop and resituate her; she had begun to fall off. The musical noise of her light snoring made me smile.

Yawning, Nessie woke up. She wiped her eyes, and then looked around. "How close?" she croaked.

Bella smiled. "Within twenty minutes," she said. "How did you sleep?"

"Good, I guess. I mean…I didn't dream."

"Oh. Have you thought about what you're going to say to your father when you see him?"

"How about… 'I love you, Daddy?'"

Bella laughed. "I think he'll love that."

When I started smelling the Cullens, my heart skipped three beats. It was about four in the morning, and I knew we'd be close enough for Edward to hear my thoughts.

_Edward, Nessie's back! We have Nessie!_ I thought as joyously as possible.

Approximately ten seconds later, we heard the deafening cheering of eight vampires.

I smiled.

We burst through the trees into the Cullens' yard, and were surrounded by hugs and laughter. Alice planted a kiss on my wet nose. Jasper and Emmett yanked Nessie off my back and hoisted her onto their shoulders.

Edward was hugging Bella like he'd never let go. "I've missed you," he murmured.

Rosalie looked at me. "Good job, Jacob," she mumbled.

I huffed smugly.

When Nessie finally managed to get down from the brothers' shoulders, she giggled and promptly did a back flip. "It feels good to be a little girl again," she said.

Edward hugged her. "You'll _always_ be _my_ little girl," he said.

Running, I went to phase. When I came back out, Billy walked up to me and smiled. "Thank you, Jake, for bringing her back."

I nodded. "I wouldn't back out on her for the world," I said.

"Jacob, I…" Edward started. Then he saw my wrist and freaked. "You were bit!" he bellowed, causing everyone to fall silent. Then the crowd was around _me_, all pushing and shoving to get a better look at my hand.

"It's nothing, guys, really," I muttered.

"How in the hell are you alive?"

"Bella. She sucked the venom out," I said quietly.

Everyone whipped around to stare at Bella at the same time, and then turned back to me. It was almost comical.

"Was it Simon or Hannah?" Edward hissed.

"Neither. There was some freako pair of vamps in the woods. One of them had some gift that made it so that they could control us. He got pissed at the other one when he told him we'd had enough, and made him bite me."

"What did it feel like?" Carlisle asked eagerly, pushing to the front.

I sighed. "It didn't hurt; at least, not after he broke the skin. It made me really weak, like I desperately needed a nap. It kept getting worse until Bella finally stepped in."

Carlisle nodded. "Interesting," he said.

Billy was still staring at me, mouth open.

I rolled my eyes. "Seriously, guys, I'm _fine_," I repeated. "We killed Simon and Hannah. Everything's good now. But…"

Bella caught my drift and nodded. "Guys, those two vampires controlled _us_ too. They made us do a bunch of stupid stuff, and…"

"And I was forced to kiss Bella," I said quickly.

You could've heard a pin drop, and not just because we all had supernatural hearing. Not even the crickets dared to make a sound.

"You…were forced?" Edward asked, keeping his voice deathly calm.

"He was, Edward," Bella assured him. "He didn't have any say in the matter. He loves _Nessie_."

"Well, then…if you were forced, I guess I can't be angry, can I?" Edward said, voice husky with suppressed emotion.

"If you want to hit me, Edward, do it," I said, exasperated. "It's not like I had a choice here, okay? It was either kiss your wife, or resist and watch her do something like rip herself apart."

Edward blinked. "I guess I didn't realize they were that sadistic." He nodded, all business. "Well then, Jacob, I definitely am _not_ angry with you. Love, come here. I'd like to remove any last traces of Jacob from your lips." He smirked at me and bent down, pressing his lips to Bella's softly.

Nessie looked up at me, and I knew Edward wasn't winning this one. I twined my fingers into Nessie's hair and kissed her, right in front of her parents. That was a first. Usually I'd been too scared to do it anywhere around Edward at all.

Edward gritted his teeth at me but didn't say a word.

Suddenly, a strange look crossed Alice's face. It was half annoyed, half amused.

"I'd take one half step to the right if I were you, Edward," she said, eyebrows furrowed though she was still smiling.

"Um…" Edward said, but did as he was told.

A massive ball of fur shot from the trees, landing exactly where Edward had been standing.

Seth stood up, grinning a wolfy grin.

"Alice…!" Edward started excitedly.

Then Alice's face lit up. "I _saw_ a wolf!" she screamed, her shrill voice splitting the silence.

My arms, which had been holding Ness against my chest, dropped to my sides with a smack. I shot her a dark look. "I thought you couldn't see our futures," I accused.

"I…never…have been able to….before, I…" she dramatically collapsed into Jasper's arms, sighing happily.

Seth looked a little ticked, but then he saw Nessie and smiled. If you haven't seen a wolf the size of a horse smile, you don't want to. Honestly, it's kinda scary. Lots of sharp teeth involved.

"This day keeps getting stranger and stranger," Edward grinned. Then his head tilted, and he turned to Nessie. "Seth says he's glad you're home."

"Oh…um…okay," Nessie said reluctantly, shuffling her feet. For whatever reason, Nessie hadn't liked Seth since the day she'd been born. As a matter of fact, when she was young, she'd hated him with such a fiery passion, it'd scared me.

Seth ran into the trees, coming back out again as a human. "Hiya, guys!" he said, grinning. He swept his hair out of his eyes.

"Hey, Seth," Edward said.

Seth clapped Edward on the back. "So. Ness, nice seein' ya again."

"Yeah…thanks," Nessie mumbled.

Seth laughed. "Still not too fond of me, eh? Well, your loss. Being my friend is an amazing privilege."

I rolled my eyes. "Don't get a big head, kid," I said.

Suddenly, Seth's head whipped around like someone had called his name. His eyes fell on Edward. Edward and Seth's faces were identical masks of horror. Seth made an odd choking noise in the back of his throat.

"No!" Edward bellowed. "Absolutely no way!"

"What?!" I asked.

"I...just…imprinted on…." Seth gulped. "Edward."

"Oh my _God_!" I sputtered, looking from Edward to Seth rapidly.

Rosalie burst into laughter, mean and cruel.

"Ew," Alice said in distaste.

"This _cannot_ be happening! Billy, tell me this isn't happening!" Seth cried.

Billy pursed his lips. "The legends didn't specifically say that a boy had to imprint on a girl, they just said that a wolf imprinted on his true other half."

"I'm not gay!" Seth yelled.

"I'm married!" Edward said, equally loud.

Bella laughed. "Seth, I am _not_ sharing him," she teased, trying to lighten the mood.

"I don't _want_ him! Yeah I do…no I don't! What am I saying?!"

"Welcome to imprinting, kid," I grinned.

Edward didn't find this situation funny at all, and his mouth was set in a permanent grimace.

"You got a_ girl_, Jacob Black, shut up!" Seth snarled.

Edward turned to Billy. "How is this going to work, what with me being married?" he asked, obviously trying to be the calm adult.

Billy simply shrugged. He didn't have any more of an explanation for this than Seth.

Seth fell to his knees. "I'm not gay," he moaned.

"Seth, this doesn't make you…gay," Billy said patiently.

"Then what _does_ it make me?"

"Nothing. It simply means that for whatever reason, your true other half happens to be another male that…"

"_No_!" Edward interrupted. "I love Seth…but like a son! Or a brother! Not like a mate! _Never_ like a mate!"

Billy shrugged again. "Say what you want," he said.

"Hmm…this evening…or morning…seems to be all about the dogs," Rosalie said.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I demanded.

"Well, Nessie gets saved by the dog, we find out that the dog kissed Bella, Alice realizes she can see the dogs, the dog imprints on Edward…is there a full moon or something?" Rosalie asked, flipping her hair behind her shoulder.

I rolled my eyes. "You're a real bitch sometimes, you know it?"

Rosalie flashed me a thumbs up cheerfully.

Nessie yawned massively, looking adorable.

"Oh, I forgot. There are still a few people here who need sleep," Bella said, glancing at Seth, Nessie and I considerately. "Why don't we split this party up and talk tomorrow?

"Well, I'll head home," Seth said. "It_ is_ pretty late." His head was hung in shame.

Waving at everyone, then grimacing at Edward, he exploded out of his clothes and took off into the trees.

"Night, Jake," Nessie murmured, stretching up on her toes for a kiss.

I complied; leaning down, I pressed my lips to hers. We'd done it once in front of precious Daddy; it wouldn't hurt to do it again.

Edward made a disgruntled noise.

"Goodnight, Princess," I whispered against her lips. But then I had a thought that was suddenly nagging me. "Ness…when you were all hypnotized…Simon didn't make you…ya know…" I trailed off in embarrassment.

Nessie shook her head quickly. "Nope. Still…" she saw her dad looking at her pointedly. "Pure," she finished lamely, blushing.

"Good," I said, relief showing on my face. If I was waiting for Nessie, she damn well better have waited for me. "And _please_ tell me he's not a better kisser than me. That would seriously hurt my pride."

"_Never_." Nessie mimed gagging.

"Double good," I said, kissing her gently. "Go get cleaned up and get some rest. Love you."

Ness giggled, pulling away. "Love you too, babe," she said, skipping off with her parents.

I went to sit in the living room for a few minutes until I was sure Nessie would be asleep. It was almost time to make my move.


	10. Chapter 10: Rings and Flying Limbs

**Disclaimer: I don't own the amazing creations from inside of Stephanie Meyer's brain.**

A/N: Sorry for not posting a new chapter on schedule! :o I was busy with band and what little life I actually have. ;) Anyway, to apologize, I'm going to upload two chapters at once. This will be the first. In edition...I wonder what this chapter will be about? *slow smile*

**CHAPTER TEN: RINGS AND FLYING LIMBS**

I sat in the living room for about a half hour, channel surfing and trying to ignore the noises coming from upstairs. It _so_ wasn't worth it to even think about what was happening up there. Especially when I realized that I was sitting under Carlisle and Esme's bedroom.

Finally, when I was sure Nessie would be asleep, I crept outside and across the yard to Edward and Bella's cottage. I'd been dreading this moment for years, and now it was time to face my fears.

I knocked quietly on the door. Within seconds, Edward and Bella were in the doorway giving me the evil eye.

"Yes?" Bella prompted.

But Edward knew what was going on the second he read my mind. "Come inside," he murmured, a pained look on his face.

Bella looked at him questioningly, but he just shook his head and stood aside so that I could come in.

I had to bend so that my head wouldn't hit the top of the doorframe, but I made it in. Edward gestured to the living room in defeat.

"So I'm assuming you already know why I'm here," I said, once I'd settled onto the couch.

Edward nodded, but Bella looked irritated. "No, why?"

Edward sighed. "He's here to ask my permission to propose to Nessie," he almost choked out.

Bella blinked. "_Wow_. Okay, last thing I expected…." She laughed nervously. "Um…that's really sweet, Jake. Not a lot of boys still ask the father before proposing."

I shrugged. "Well…I just wanted to do things, right, ya know? And it might have something to do with the fact that if Ness came in screaming that we were getting married, I might lose an arm…or a leg…or a head." I took a deep breath. "Okay. So this is…kinda hard. Um…Edward, I love your daughter with all my heart. You know I would never do anything to harm her, and you know I'll always try my hardest to protect her. I want to be with her forever. She's my girl. I guess what I'm getting at is…would you care if I proposed to Nessie?"

Edward took a deep breath, held it for a minute, and then let it out slowly. He rubbed his eyes with his knuckles, then hunched over and made a low sound in the back of his throat.

Bella patted his back comfortingly, smiling. She looked at me and mouthed, _He'll give in._

Edward sat back up, ran a hand through his tousled hair, and squeezed his eyes shut. He opened them. Then, in a voice almost completely unintelligible even to my ears, he murmured, "Fine. But don't expect me to be happy about it."

I couldn't help the grin that spread across my face. I felt elated. "Thank you!" I whispered fiercely.

Bella laughed.

I jumped up and tiptoed into Nessie's room. She was soft and limp on her mattress, breathing deeply. She'd taken a shower. I could smell the gentle fragrance of her shampoo. Her blankets were tangled around her ankles; she'd been kicking off her blankets since the day she was born.

I reached down and gently removed her slender bare feet from the jumble, then pulled the blankets up to her chin. I smoothed her damp hair out of her face, leaning down to kiss her forehead. "Sleep well, my angel," I murmured.

I was woken up by Emmett thumping me on the head. "Sit up so I have room!" he commanded. "You have the longest damn body I've ever seen!"

Too tired to object, I sat up.

Ness came in and sat beside me. "How ya doin' sleepyhead?" she asked.

"Better now," I replied, wrapping my arms around her.

Alice danced in. "Can I be your bridesmaid?" she asked excitedly.

Nessie turned to look at me with wide and confused eyes.

"What do you mean?" I asked, giving her a _Look_.

"_Well_, now that I can see shape shifters, I saw that you were planning on marrying Nessie, _so_…"

"You were_ what_?" Nessie breathed, turning to look at me.

I shot Alice a glare. "Well, since big mouth here has already told you…just…come here," I said, pulling her to her feet.

We walked outside, Nessie eyeing me warily. "This was supposed to be more romantic, but…" I pulled the ring out of my pocket.

Taking a deep breath, I slid down onto one knee and took her shaking hands in mine. I balanced the ring box on my knee and stared up into her eyes, which were suddenly wide and in awe.

"Renesmee Carlie Cullen? There could _not_ be an odder pair than us. But I promise I'll take care of you and hold you close to me forever. Will you marry me?" I asked softly.

"Jake, I…" Nessie started, blushing.

My heart sank as a hundred possibilities of why she wouldn't marry me sprang into my mind. Too tall. Too Indian. Too annoying. Not polite enough to her dad and her aunt. Hot headed. Weird. Too old for her. Cussed too much. Not mature enough. Not smart enough, not brave enough, not…

"I wouldn't like anything more," she finished, tears filling her eyes.

I grinned widely. "I love you," I said, standing up and holding the ring box out to her.

Taking a deep breath, she took it and opened it.

"Oh my gosh, it's beautiful," she gasped.

"It was my mom's," I admitted. I _hardly_ had money to buy her something new and fancy; though I was sure Alice would've lent me some. I didn't ask favors from vampires. Even four foot ten girly vampires.

"It's perfect," Nessie said with finality, slipping it on to her finger and admiring it. So it was set. We were getting married.

The very next thing I did was go to Jasper. "Teach me how to fight," I said. "The right way. Everything."

Jasper raised one eyebrow. "_Why_ do you want to learn how to fight?" he asked.

"So I can protect Nessie from now on," I said.

Jasper sighed and pushed up his sleeves. "Okay."

I nodded, keeping a poker face. I hadn't expected him to give in so easy.

"Do you remember what happened to you eight years ago? You didn't watch your back while fighting. You got hurt."

I groaned. "How could I not remember? I was the naked guy on the ground yelling my head off and soaking myself with tears. I was a wuss."

Jasper shook his head. "You weren't a wuss," he disagreed. "You just don't have that high of a pain tolerance. I doubt _anyone_ has a pain tolerance that high. That would hurt. We didn't care that you were the naked guy on the ground yelling your head off and soaking yourself with tears. We just didn't want you to die."

Rosalie passed by, running back to the house with Emmett in close pursuit. I could only _hope_ they'd been hunting out there. "I did," she called without stopping. Emmett caught her around the waist from behind and lifted her into his arms, and she squealed.

Ignoring her, Jasper continued. "Do you know how I got this?" he asked, slightly pulling down the waistband of his jeans. There was a long jagged white line directly below his bellybutton that looked like it stretched all the way around his waist.

I shook my head. "Nope."

Jasper sighed. "It was a long time ago…before I met Alice. I don't like to admit it ever happened. I was taking care of some of the un-teachable newborns. I turned my back on one for half a second to finish off the other one…bad idea, I guess.

"The first one got his arms around me and squeezed, making me let go of the second one. The first one grabbed my legs and the second one grabbed my arms. They sort of played a game of tug a war with me after that. It hurt, but I couldn't do much about it…when you're in that kind of situation, what can you do? I felt ripping along my waist line. It hurt like fire, but raised as a soldier, you were never supposed to show your pain…I kept my mouth shut. More and more ripping, then…I felt agony so unbearable that my tightly pressed lips parted in a scream."

I saw Jasper shudder at the memory, but he pressed forward in the story. "They dropped me then…it was at that moment that I realized I couldn't feel my legs. If vampires could pass out, I would've. I frantically looked down at where my bottom half should've been. My stomach, my belt…nothing. Just jagged edges.

"A sudden movement caught my eye. Over in the corner…my lower half groping towards me. I screamed again, this time more of sheer terror than pain.

"'Shut up!' the newborn had hissed. 'You'll make _her_ come. We'll fix it, we'll…' Maria burst in. the two newborns' lives ended quickly. I did not feel sorry for them.

"She'd grabbed my legs and carried them to me. 'Now, watch close, Jasper, because next time, you'll have to repair yourself,' she'd said kindly. She explained to me that I needed to lick the edge of the torn limb, and then press it to the rest of my body. The venom would reseal the skin.

"After I'd been torn like that, the littler things didn't hurt so badly. I was building a pain tolerance. The more I was hurt, the less it…_hurt_."

"I was like you, ya know. We had entirely different reasons, but I tried to be like you were," I said quietly.

"What?" Jasper asked in confusion.

"I wanted to stay quiet when Carlisle was hurting me, too. I guess you did it for…pride, or whatever, but I did it to protect Billy and Bella. I didn't want them to have to see me _or_ hear me. I got through him breaking my ankle without making a noise, though when I jerked, I kicked him with my good foot…I could hear them outside and I didn't want to scare them.

"I held my breath before Carlisle severed my shin bone, but when the blow came…it was twenty times worse than the ankle. I couldn't help it; I yelled. Loudly. When I heard Bella get all quiet, I knew I'd regret my screaming as long I'd live. I'd worried her."

"If I mess with your emotions, will you hurt me?" Jasper asked softly.

"No," I mumbled miserably.

Calm washed over me. And peace. And a horrible headache.

"I could help you get a higher pain tolerance," Jasper said.

"I just wanna learn how to fight," I said.

"Pain tolerance _is_ part of fighting. Every fighter gets stuck in a situation they'd rather not be in, sooner or later. Wouldn't it be easier to be able to _think _through the pain than lay on the ground yelling?"

"Fine. How do you get a high pain tolerance?" I asked.

"I told you. Repeated pain."

"No way. I'm out," I said.

Jasper sighed. "Chicken…I'll make you a deal. I will let Emmett _rip my arm off_. If I can endure that without yelling, then you do the pain exercises."

"Deal," I said immediately, confident in an easy victory.

"Oh, Emmett!" Jasper called.

Emmett appeared next to Jasper like he'd been standing there the whole time. "Yes, brother?" he asked innocently.

"How many times have you ripped my arm off for pain exercises?"

Emmett acted like he had to think about it. "Thirty six times," he said finally.

"And how many times have I yelled?" Jasper prompted.

"Nine," Emmett answered immediately.

Esme blurred to my side. "Oh, boys, are you doing those horrible pain exercises again?" She sighed. "Jake, now you're in on it too? Wait…they're not ripping _your_ arm off, are they? Because yours won't reattach…"

"Naw….we're doing a bet. If I lose, I'm responsible to start pain training," I explained.

Esme rolled her eyes. "Vampire, shape shifter, unicorn, it doesn't matter. Teenage boys are _weird_," she said, flitting off.

"We're not really teenagers! Just because we look smoking for our age doesn't mean we're teenagers! Jacob's like twenty four, and I'm…wait, Jazz, am I still ninety five, or am I ninety six?"

"No idea," Jasper said absently, holding out his arm. Emmett grinned and cracked his knuckles.

Jasper, on the other hand, grimaced and gritted his teeth.

"On your mark," Emmett said, taking Jasper by the hand. "Get set," he continued, leaning back. "Go!" With a grunt, he yanked, and a sparkly object went flying through the air, landing sickeningly at my feet. It was an arm.

I felt sick to my stomach. And it wasn't because of Jasper's arm. It was because he hadn't yelled. At all. Sure, he was grimacing horribly and making a face, but the deal had been a yell. Damn.

"You lose," Jasper said through his teeth.

I groaned, picking up his arm and tossing it back. I watched in disgust as he licked it, and then pressed it back to his shoulder. "Good as new. Now, what do you want me to break?"

"My arm," I sighed.

"How long does it take for your arm to heal?"

"About twenty four hours," I said, grimacing.

Jasper nodded. "Come inside."

Stomach in knots, I followed him in.


	11. Chapter 11: Broken

**Disclaimer: Twilight. Is. Not. Mine.**

A/N: Here's the second of the two chapters I promised to upload tonight. (Well, I don't know what time it is where you all are, but it's 8:52 p.m. here.) There's going to be a few medical references and whatnot, just know that I'm no doctor and have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about! XD So no hate on the medical stuff, alright? Cool. Enjoy the chapter! xx ~TranquilGuardian

**CHAPTER ELEVEN: BROKEN**

"We'll break your arm once a day," Jasper said, walking in through the front door.

Bella and Nessie were on their feet at once. "What?!" they demanded in sync.

"I'm doing pain training," I said. "Jasper's idea."

"What the hell is that?" Bella demanded.

"I'm doing it to get a high pain tolerance. I want to be able to protect Nessie, and the first step is being able to grunt through the pain instead of dropping."

"A hell of a lot of good you'll do protecting me with a broken arm! Jasper, you brainwashed him!" Nessie shrieked.

"Is this really necessary, Jacob?" Carlisle murmured.

"Yeah," I said simply.

Sighing, Carlisle disappeared, coming back seconds later with a sling and bandages. "If you say so," he said. He always had medical supplies on hand, something I didn't think I would ever get used to.

I ran a hand through my hair, wincing. This wasn't going to feel pleasant.

"Why will you let _Jasper_ break your bones, but not me?" Rosalie questioned.

"You'd head for my neck," I spat, glaring at her.

She shrugged. "Point taken."

"Woah, wait,_ I'm_ not breaking his arm," Jasper said quickly, holding his hands up.

"Then who is?" I asked, whipping around to look at him.

"Carlisle," Jasper said calmly.

"No, Jasper. It was different, breaking his bones when I had to…even though it didn't make me feel any better. But doing it now, out of simple cruelty…it's impossible."

"But Carlisle! He trusts you the most. You know, I'll be doing good just to stay in the room. You forgot that I can feel his emotions. When he's in pain, I will be too."

Carlisle groaned. "Stop using that as an excuse," he mumbled, but gestured for me to sit in the chair.

My hands shaking, I lowered myself into it. "Do it quick," I said huskily. Suddenly, I doubted whether or not this was really a good idea.

Alice came over and held my hand. "Squeeze as tight as you want," she said sympathetically.

I made a weak attempt at rolling my eyes.

Carlisle sighed and grasped my arm in his cool hands. "It's not too late to change your mind," he said.

"Not changing my mind."

Bella met my eyes, wincing.

"Ya look like you're gonna crap yourself, Black. Calm down, he hasn't even done it yet," Emmett chuckled. He enjoyed my pain _way_ too much.

I took a deep breath. "Someone distract me," I whispered.

Rosalie knelt on the ground in front of me. "Got any more blonde jokes?" she asked, taking a stab at being kind.

"Umm…" I thought hard. "Yeah, have you heard the one about—ahh…" I stifled a scream, gritting my teeth hard. I was afraid to unclench my teeth, let alone look at my mangled arm. I felt wetness in my eyes, but I ignored it. I was clutching Alice's hand with all I had.

Jasper burst into applause. "Good job, Jake! First time and barely a moan! Amazing."

Finger by finger, I let go of Alice's hand. When I finally let go, she flexed her fingers, a frown on her face. "Ow."

My teeth stayed clenched as Carlisle set my arm, then wrapped it in gauze and put it in a sling.

"Breathe, Jake, you're turning blue," Bella reminded me.

I slowly unclenched my teeth and breathed. "That…_hurt_," I finally gasped.

"It was supposed to," Jasper said. "That's kind of the point here."

Alice wiped my sweat soaked forehead with a rag, and I resisted the urge to bat her away in annoyance.

"Hey, Jake! Didja run into a tree again?" Seth asked, walking through the doorway. Kid always walked in at the worst times.

"No, Seth, Jacob made fun of Carlisle's girl eyelashes, and Carlisle knocked out a few of his teeth and broke his arm," Emmett replied casually.

"I have girl eyelashes?" Carlisle demanded.

Seth was staring at me in horror, and I rolled my eyes to show him it wasn't true.

"I have girl eyelashes?" Carlisle repeated.

"No, honey," Esme said, patting his knee. "It was a joke."

"You _do_ have really long eyelashes though," Emmett shrugged.

"Emmett! Shut the hell up!" Bella snapped. "You're really stupid, you know that?"

"Damn, Bella," Emmett mumbled, but kept his mouth shut.

Carlisle looked slightly hurt.

Seth sat down beside Edward and threw an arm around him. "I'd appreciate it if you moved your arm, Seth," Edward said stiffly.

Sighing, Seth did. "So, why _is_ your arm broken, Jake?" he asked.

"Pain training," I said.

Seth stared at me blankly.

"He's doing it to obtain a higher pain tolerance," Jasper said.

Seth nodded absently, his attention lost. Big words confused him. He turned to Nessie. "How's it going Ness?" he asked.

Nessie glared at him. "Just remember that I can show you the things that nightmares are made of, Seth," she said quietly, stretching her fingers toward his face menacingly.

Rosalie smirked. "That's my niece," she said.

"I give. Why do you hate me?" Seth demanded.

"You hurt Jacob," Nessie growled.

Seth stared at her, and I did too. "He did?" I asked blankly.

I couldn't remember a time when Seth had ever hurt me…never. Seth was like the gentlest kid in the world. He was the kind of kid that used to rescue baby birds and nurse them back to health.

Nessie slapped a hand to each of our faces, and I got a sudden video of eight years ago. The weird thing was, I wasn't seeing it from _my_ body. I saw myself, and the Cullens…and I couldn't figure out whose eyes I was looking out of. _Until_ Rosalie cooed at me and stroked my hair. Then I got a pretty good idea.

Bella lunged at me with red eyes, screeching. Seth jumped out in front of me, knocking me back hard onto the ground. The smell of phantom blood filled my nose as I looked at myself, sitting up and rubbing my bloody head. Seth, meanwhile, was taking the violent blows meant for me with barely a whimper. I was suddenly filled with red hot boiling anger as I glared at Seth, then looked back at myself with worry.

The video ended as Seth was being half carried into the woods by Emmett and Jasper so he could phase back into a human, broken collar bone and shoulder jutting out.

"See? He hurt you!" Nessie screeched, lowering her hands.

Seth smirked, rolling his eyes, and Nessie hissed.

I laughed. "Ness, that was to protect me from _your_ mother!"

"Excuse me?" Bella asked in confusion.

"It was the day that you found out I nicknamed your daughter after the Loch Ness Monster," I prompted.

"Oh,_ that_ day," Bella grinned. She turned to Nessie, looking slightly embarrassed. "Nessie, if Seth hadn't knocked Jacob down, he would've been toast. Seth actually took the beating meant for Jake. He wasn't _hurting_ him, he was _saving_ him!"

Nessie pursed her lips. "Oh," she said finally.

I chuckled. "Can you two be friends now? I mean, he _adored_ you when you were little," I said.

"Probably not, but I won't threaten him anymore."

"Deal," Seth grinned, holding out his hand.

With a small smile, Nessie shook it gingerly.

I suddenly winced. "Damn, I forgot how much it hurts to have a broken arm," I groaned.

"You want Tylenol?" Alice asked sympathetically.

"Haven't we gone through this before? My temperature's too high. It just burns it off."

Alice turned to Carlisle. "How much morphine did it take to knock Jake out back when he broke all those bones?" she asked.

"Three hundred milligrams," Carlisle said.

I groaned. "First you break my arm, then you stab needles into me until I fall asleep?" I asked.

Alice laughed. "You can sleep in one of our beds," she said.

"I don't feel comfortable sleeping in beds in a house where no one sleeps…knowing what those beds are for."

"Nessie sleeps," Bella said.

"Eh, I don't feel comfortable sleeping in a girl's bed either," I said.

"The couch it is," Rosalie snapped. "_Someone_ is acting really ungrateful." Well, _her_ kindness towards me lasted about five seconds…a new record.

Carlisle appeared at my side with an I.V. and a morphine drip. I hadn't realized he'd left. He gently stuck his cool fingers down inside my sling to where the crease in my arm was. With perfect practice, he pressed the needle into my arm. "This should help soon," he said. "Emmett, Bella, Jasper, off the couch."

They stood curiously, watching to se what he would do.

I didn't realize why Carlisle was leaning in until I was in his arms.

"Woah, woah, woah, put me _down_! I can walk!" I cried.

Ignoring me, Carlisle sat me down on the couch and pulled a blanket off the back of it. He draped it over me.

"This isn't necessary," I grumbled.

Emmett was stifling laughter, and he turned it into a cough.

"I know damn good and well that vampires don't cough," I spat.

"You'll be out cold soon anyway, but here's the T.V. remote. We're going hunting," Carlisle said, defusing a fight before it started.

So Rosalie and Emmett _hadn't_ been hunting when they were in the woods…I shuddered.

Already, a numb feeling was spreading through my arm.

"Then go hunting. Don't let me hold you here," I yawned.

"Fine by me," Rosalie said, flitting out. Emmett rolled his eyes, but followed her.

"You're not holding us, here. But we really do need to get hunting," Esme said kindheartedly.

I yawned again. "Go ahead," I mumbled.

Immediately, Esme, Alice, Bella and Nessie lined up to kiss my forehead.

I let my eyes slip closed as each pair of cool lips pressed against my head.

I could tell when Nessie reached me; her lips strayed from my head to my lips.

I heard snickering, and then a new warmer pair of lips touched my forehead. Besides Nessie, there was only one other warm blooded creature here…my eyes flew open as Seth crouched above me, making kissing noises.

"Dude!" I yelled.

"I just _had_ to do that," he cackled, doubling over in laughter.

I smacked him upside the head with my good arm, but that didn't shut him up. He just laughed his way out the door.

Bella rolled her eyes as the others were going out. "See ya, sleepyhead," she said, walking out.

I was asleep before the door clicked shut.


	12. Chapter 12: Down and Dirty

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns the Twilight Saga. Not TranquilGuardian. Sadly.**

A/N: I'd just like to start this chapter off by stating, No, this chapter is nothing about what the title sounds like. Sorry to disappoint anyone who was hoping for some smut. Not in this fic, guys. Innuendos, references, even some pretty heavy kissing, yeah, but I can't write sex scenes. It's not that I'm not mature enough, I'm just not brave enough. XD Maybe someday! lol Anyway, this chapter is mostly just proving some abilities that need to be proved before I moved on. The next chapter is pretty much comedy. (: You'll see. Enjoy!

**CHAPTER TWELVE: DOWN AND DIRTY**

For the next week and a half, every afternoon, as soon as my arm was completely healed, Carlisle would re-break it. It pretty much went without a hitch, except for one time when I ground my teeth together, and my tongue just happened to be there…well, there was a lot of blood and my tongue swelled up to the size of a beehive…anyway, on one particular day I trudged into the Cullens' house, expecting to see Carlisle with bandages, but it was only Jasper.

"The rest are out back. It's time."

I grinned, anticipating what was to come. Time to prove myself as more than just a shape shifter. We ran out back, to see the Cullens stationed in a large half circle. Nessie and Billy sat on a log, chatting carelessly. I'd already made it clear that I wouldn't be fighting my fiancé, and Billy's newborn strength hadn't worn off enough for me to stand even a small chance of winning a fight against him.

"You pick which one you want to fight," Jasper said, gesturing to those standing. "Ladies first."

I nodded. "Alice," I said instantly.

Alice gave me a sweet little smile that made me shiver. She flitted to stand before me, grinning. "Ready, wolf," she said.

I ripped into a wolf, coming up onto my hind legs and snapping my jaws impressively.

Alice just rolled her eyes.

"Wait, wait, wait. _No one_ is allowed to use their gifts to fight him. Alice, that means no foreseeing his moves," Jasper said, giving her a smug half smile. "I knew exactly how you planned on winning, you fierce thing."

Alice groaned, her calm façade disappearing. Suddenly she wasn't so sure of her ability to smoke me.

"Go."

Alice launched at me, teeth bared. Circling, she closed in. I was tempted to laugh. The petite thing looked so vicious; it was more cute than scary.

When she jumped at me, I gently closed my teeth around her neck and pinned her to the ground.

From the ground, she punched me in the nose and spit at me. I put my front paws on her chest, holding her down. Unfortunately, that left my soft stomach right at angle with her delicately heeled feet. She kicked me hard, and I flew back, whimpering. I never knew that Alice fought so dirty.

After I could breathe again, I flew at her, flat out sitting on her and locking my jaws around her neck. I didn't like beating up on girls, but there was no way this ninety five pound _chick_ was going to take me down; my pride just wouldn't be able to take it.

When I was sure there was no way Alice was going to wriggle free, I looked expectantly at Jasper to call the fight. It was Alice, however, that started chuckling beneath me. "Good job, Jake. You win," she said.

Grinning stupidly, I got off of her.

Before I knew what was happening, she was sitting on my back. "Rule number four. Never believe the enemy when she says she gives up," she snarled playfully. The vampires around us burst into laughter.

Alice tightened her arms around me in a motion that, had she been for real, would've crushed my bones.

"Alice wins!" Jasper cried triumphantly. He looked proud of his wife, and he grinned at her.

Alice leapt off my back to go stand with the rest. She stretched up and pecked Jasper on the lips. "Just remember, Jazz, I could protect you in a fight," she smiled teasingly.

Huffing, I pointed my nose at Esme. She was extremely easy to pin, considering she refused to fight back.

"I don't want to hurt him!" she'd protested.

Rosalie assured her quickly that it would be fine, I was tough, but to no avail. Esme simply let me tackle her. I felt really bad about doing it.

I chose Rosalie next, trying to save Bella for last. She came into the fight overly cocky, and within seconds was pinned to the ground, though her jacket got ripped in the process. Before I could blink, she went from snarling madly to crying softly beneath me. I leapt off of her without delay, thinking I'd injured her. I'd tried to be gentle with the girls…

Emmett sprinted over to us. "Time! Time!" he yelled, waving his arms in a 'cut' gesture. He picked Rosalie up into his arms. "Rose! Are you okay? What happened?!" He turned to me. "Did you hurt her?" he snarled.

"Gosh, Jake, I know you don't like her, but-" Nessie started.

"He didn't hurt me. Jacob, you won fair and square," Rosalie said quietly, wiping her eyes though there were no tears.

"Then what's going on?" Emmett asked tenderly.

"It…it's nothing. Put me down."

I nudged her, honest concern in my eyes,

Rosalie sighed. "I haven't had someone so much stronger than me fight me since…since Royce King. Even all the vampires I've fought haven't been that much stronger. You were so much bigger than me…in total control of everything…you were holding me down and there was nothing I could do…it…it scared me, Jacob. It's stupid, I know, but you reminded me of my killer."

I whined, pressing my wet muzzle against her cheek. I'd never really shared a _moment_ with Rosalie, but in nine years I'd gained experience with sad girls…even if they _were_ vampires. Alice came to me with every woe and misery she had; fights with Jasper, frustration that she couldn't remember her human life, girl emotional issues that I didn't even know _how_ to sympathize with…everything. I'd just put my arms around her and let her pour her heart out. Somehow, I couldn't imagine Rosalie taking Alice's place.

"I'm _fine_!" Rosalie growled, pushing me away. "Emmett, _put_ me down," she snarled.

Wounded, Emmett did.

Rosalie turned on me. "And don't even _think_ that little confession made us friends," she grumbled.

"Is it possible for a vampire to get PMS?" Nessie mumbled.

Rosalie shot her a glare. "Bella, go. You're the last girl," she snapped.

Bella came to stand in front of me, biting her lip. We stood staring at each other for about thirty seconds, though it seemed much longer.

"Well, _somebody_ has to make the first move," Jasper said.

Bella took a small step towards me, and I did the same.

"Boring!" Emmett yelled, smirking.

I took a deep breath and advanced more quickly.

Bella crouched, letting instinct take over, and snarled at me.

Knowing if I didn't tackle her soon I'd wimp out, I flew at her.

Bella let out a frightened little yelp as my paws crashed down inches from where her body had been standing the second before. She vanished.

I whipped around, looking for her. I felt her drop onto my back and put her arms around me, squeezing gently.

"Bella wins!" Jasper declared.

'_Damn_,' I thought miserably. Two girls had beaten me, and I'd made one cry. I'd only beaten the one by default. My day wasn't going well.

Edward laughed, hearing my thoughts. I'd have to remember to speak to him about that…he'd promised to stay out of my head.

"Boys now," Jasper said.

I looked at Carlisle, and he stepped into the ring.

"Go," Jasper said, crossing his arms.

I charged. At the last second, Carlisle took a small step to the right and I went crashing into a large oak tree.

Whining, I jumped to my feet to see Carlisle facing me, a tiny smile on his face.

Growling, I charged again. I wasn't going to be fooled this time; as he took a step to the left, so did I; I tackled him and my teeth locked around his esophagus.

"Jacob wins!" Jasper said.

I jumped up.

Carlisle stood, dusting off his clothes, and smiled at me. "Good job," he said, rubbing his neck.

I nudged him.

"No, you didn't injure me, it's just that next time, you probably shouldn't close your mouth _quite_ so tight in a practice battle," he said.

Oops.

I fought Edward next, and won. It wasn't because I was a better fighter; far from it. It was only because it took almost all of his concentration _not_ to read my mind when he was actually trying, and he wasn't paying attention, but I plowed him into the trees and got another grumbled complaint about not biting down so hard on his neck.

I swear, the boys were bigger wusses than the girls.

When I fought Emmett, he charged me, flipped me onto my back, pressed his foot down right over my heart, grabbed my muzzle with his hand, and said, "You lose." It was a pretty sorry fight.

I fought Jasper next, knowing he was the veteran fighter. It hardly even _qualified_ as a fight. It was more like I got my ass handed to me. Before I had time to blink, he'd pinned my head to the ground with his foot on my neck. I just about peed myself.

Jasper sat me down the next day, and made me copy down a list of rules. I tried to tell him my handwriting sucked, but to no avail. He merely watched me write, and then told me to memorize them.

"It could save your life," he'd said.

Rules:

1. Don't go for the obvious kill.

2. Never turn your back on the enemy.

3. Don't get distracted.

4. Don't believe the enemy when they say they give up.

5. Never let them get their arms around you.

6. Don't believe you're going to lose until you've lost.

I did memorize them, and at times, Jasper would shout, "Rule number three!" and I'd have to recite it.

After a month of constant warfare, I could beat everyone but Jasper. I didn't honestly believe that I'd _ever _beat him…until I did.

It started out a normal day, after I'd fought everyone else, I fought Jasper, but something changed half way through the fight. I felt like I _needed_ to win, like Nessie's life depended on it. I faked to the right, and then tackled him, snapping my jaws closed around his throat. His eyes bugged out in astonishment as he lay there on the ground, not even attempting to fight back. "You…_beat_ me," he whispered. "I've _never_ lost an even fight. _Ever_."

"Jacob wins!" Carlisle cheered.

I sat back on my haunches, tongue hanging out. I'd never been so proud of myself. Not even after Carlisle broke my arm and I'd almost kept a straight face. Never.

Everyone ran over to me, cheering and pounding me on the back. Then they shoved me into the trees so I could phase.

When I walked back out, Emmett hoisted me over his shoulder like a sack of flour and started singing, "For he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow, for he's a jolly good fellow, he beat Jasper at a fight!"

Jasper was still gasping like a fish out of water. "How…did you _beat_ me?" he whispered.

"You taught me everything I know, boss," I grinned, looking at him upside down from my viewpoint.

I struggled down from Emmett's shoulders and looked at Jasper, holding my hand out for a handshake.

Jasper went from wild incredulity to smugness in a second. "Damn, I'm an excellent teacher!" he said, shaking it swiftly.

I laughed. "You sure are," I agreed.

The next day, it went back to the serious stuff.

Nessie flounced up to me, curls bouncing endearingly like they did when she was little. "Jakey?" she asked.

I knew instantly that something was up. She never called me Jakey unless she seriously wanted something that her parents couldn't give her.

"Yeah, babe?" I asked cautiously.

Nessie took a deep breath, settling into my lap. "I want to get married tomorrow," she blurted.

"Tomorrow?" I said, paling.

"I'm ready. Alice already has the guest list, the dress, and the tux, and the place, because we're doing it here. And you already said that we're honeymooning in the same place that Mom and Daddy did."

"But…we don't have a house," I said, stalling for time. Of course I wanted to marry Nessie, but I was terrified at the prospect of sleeping with her. Not because I didn't want to, but because I was scared that Edward would kill me if I even attempted it.

"I'm sure Alice will take care of that," Nessie murmured breathlessly.

I let out a breath. "Okay."

Nessie squealed. "Great! I've already told the others that it was decided, so I was hoping you'd say yes…"

I laughed. "Aren't you eager? I love you…Mrs. Black."

Nessie giggled. "I like the sound of that."

I don't do little end notes often, but it was for my own irritation purposes that I needed to state that the list Jacob wrote out was in his actual font, but, ya know, copying and pasting to this thing loses all the cool effects. -_- Don't forget to favorite and follow! I mean...if you wanna! XD If you came this far I just kind of figured maybe you plan on sticking with it. ;) xxx


	13. Chapter 13: Bachelor Party

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or ****_E.T._**** Credit to Stephanie Meyer and Katy Perry/Kanye West. In that order. (You'll see...)**

A/N: Alright, so I promised comedy in the next chapter...I'm here to deliver. ^_^ (I know, comedy in THIS fic? The world must be ending!) (Two sets of parenthesis in a row but I don't care...what if the world really DID end after I typed that?! D:) Anyway, to those of you who don't speak French, or my French is too crappy to even comprehend (I take Japanese, here...) the intended translations are at the bottom of the chapter with the corresponding numbers to what was said up in the actual text. So even if I'm wrong, the bottom will tell you what I meant. Blame Google Translate and my rudimentary foreign language skills. Enjoy the pure comic relief of this chapter! No offense to the French, I promise D: I don't really know a thing about them! (This chapter wasn't in the original fic at all; when I went back to add things about six months after writing it, I felt that more humor was needed so this was thrown in as an off topic mood lightener.) xxx ~TranquilGuardian

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN: BACHELOR PARTY**

"Are you sure that this is the place?" I asked doubtfully, staring up at the massive hotel.

"This is the place," Carlisle said firmly, grinning at me.

I looked at my pack, and some of Sam's, standing beside me. Paul's mouth was hanging open. "This is all for Jacob?" he whispered.

"If you saw where the girls were taking Nessie, you would think that _this_ is a run down motel," Edward laughed. "Nothing but the best for my baby."

"Where's Ness going? The damn Queen of England's castle? This is…jeez, Edward! I didn't think you liked me this much!"

Edward shrugged. "Come on, guys. Let's go check in."

Our huge group walked into the lobby, mouths open in shock.

The few people in the lobby turned to look and see who was making the noise, and saw Carlisle, Emmett, Edward, Jasper, me, Seth, Paul, Embry, Quil, and Sam enter.

"Oh, you must be the Cullen party!" said a woman at the counter. She walked around to stand in front of us. "Which of you is Carlisle?"

"That would be me," Carlisle said, holding his hand out for our room keys.

The woman gave them to him, smiling. "Bachelor party?" she guessed, laughing at the way my friends, primarily the shape shifters, were taking handfuls of the fancy brochures and post cards like white trash.

"Yes," Carlisle chuckled. He turned around. "Boys! Please act your age!" he said in exasperation. "Forgive them. They don't usually get to go to places like this."

At Carlisle's comment about acting their age, I saw Emmett hunch over and wobble like he was on a cane. Edward smacked him.

"Oh, it's quite all right," the woman laughed. "They're not the worst I've seen come through here." She handed Carlisle a map of the hotel. "Enjoy your stay!"

After examining our rooms, (during which there were exclamations of "Damn!" and "I'm hanging around Carlisle more often!") we went out for a night on the town. Carlisle stayed behind, only after making Edward assure him that he would call if something went wrong.

Edward made us all go buy a suit from the local mall. "We're eating somewhere nice," he explained after getting some dirty looks. "You're going to look your best. I don't care if you burn the thing afterwards, but you _will _look nice tonight."

Some of the pack looked extremely uncomfortable as we all got back into the rented limo. Embry, who was sitting next to me, leaned over. "How do I do this?" he hissed, holding up a tie.

I laughed, tying it for him. "Don't feel bad," I said. "If I didn't live with Alice, I wouldn't know how to either."

Quil, who'd been looking at me sheepishly, grinned and held up his own tie. "Help?" he whispered.

Edward overheard. "How many of have no idea how to tie your ties?" he asked in frustration.

Every shape shifter's hand went up except Sam's.

Edward sighed. "Jasper, help them," he grumbled, gesturing for Seth to scoot forward. His fingers moved fast, and he was helping Paul in less than five seconds.

We pulled up to a restaurant called _Ciel Cuisine_.[1] "What the hell kind of a name is_ Ciel Cuisine_?" Emmett laughed.

"An expensive one. Be on your best behavior," Edward commanded.

The menu at the restaurant confused the hell outta me. Everything was written in French, and I took a risk by ordering something called 'ailes de poulet' which turned out to just be chicken wings. Sam took the same risk, but wasn't so lucky. I mean, I thought he _knew_ that 'escargot' meant snail. I thought _everybody_ knew that. He didn't, and was quite disappointed when it showed up in front of him. But I think Seth had it the worst. He took a different approach and eenie meenie miney moed it. His finger landed on something called 'la langue de vache', and he ordered it.

When the food got there, Seth took one bite out of it and spit it out. "What _is_ that?" he hissed, wiping his mouth on his hand.

"That, my dear Seth, is cow tongue," Emmett grinned, waggling his own at him.

Seth's face turned green. "Excuse me," he gasped out, shoving away from the table. I saw him hesitate for a second at the confusingly labeled restroom doors, but clasp his hand over his mouth and shove his way into the one marked 'hommes'.

Edward winced. "We should have told him," he said.

"I'll go check on him," Quil volunteered. He took off, entering the same door Seth had. About forty five seconds passed, and Quil came back. "Yep, he's in there, all right," he said, making a face. "And he's puking his brains out."

Edward paged a waitress. "Puis-je s'il vous plaît commander des ailes de poulet?[2]" he asked.

"Bien sûr! Y at-il quelque chose de mal avec la nourriture, monsieur?[3]" the waitress replied, a worried look on her face.

"Rien n'allait pas. Mon ami n'a pas aimé ce qu'il a ordonné.[4]"

"I'm confused," I whispered to Emmett.

"He's asking the waitress for chicken wings," he hissed back, grinning. "We know a _lot_ of languages."

"Je vois. Vos ailes de poulet sera dès sa sortie,[5]" the waitress said to Edward, looking a little pissed. She walked off.

"What did you say to her?" I laughed.

"I told her Seth didn't like what he ordered, so I wanted chicken wings!" Edward answered, chuckling. "I wasn't being rude to her, but the French don't like it when people dislike their food."

"It's _cow tongue_!" I cried. "Who likes cow tongue?!"

"The French," Emmett grinned. "They like _all_ tongue. There's a reason it's called French kissing." He laughed.

Seth sat back down at the table, looking shaky. "Better," he whispered, smiling weakly.

"I ordered you chicken wings," Edward said to him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Thanks, Edward. You're the best. I can't believe I had _cow tongue_." He shuddered.

"That's the only tongue you'll ever have, imprinted boy," Emmett chuckled. "Unless Eddie decides he _likes_ him some Indian boys."

"_Shut up_!" Edward and Seth shouted in unison.

I'm gonna admit it. I got drunk that night. Edward took us to some nice bar, which surprised me, and it was my first time with alcohol. It didn't help that Emmett kept ordering me more shots. Edward eventually cut me off, but Paul got a hold of the Visa and continued to hand me bottles of beer.

"Say cheese, Jacob!" Emmett said, howling with laughter. He snapped another photo of me in my drunken state.

He and Seth pulled me out onto the dance floor and started dancing with me. Embry, who was also getting more than a little tipsy, thought he'd be cute and kiss me smack on the lips. Emmett and his $1200 camera caught that one, too.

"I love you, man," I grinned at Embry.

"I love you, too, Jakey," Embry replied, slinging an arm around me.

Katy Perry's _E.T. _began blaring through the speakers, and, without thinking, I started belting out Kanye West's part. "You are not invited to the other side of sanity! They calling me an alien, a big headed astronaut…"

"Oh, I'm _so _getting this," Emmett crowed, hitting the record button on his camera.

The sad thing was, I didn't even realize that I was drunk. I just thought I was having a good time. I only realized it when I stumbled into the men's restroom and vomited up my _ailes de poulet _and some beer. A lot of beer. Edward was shouting at me for over drinking, Emmett was snapping photos, cracking up, Jasper was standing in the corner with a miserable expression on his face, and my pack was examining the contents of the toilet with a horrific sort of interest.

Needless to say, we left and went back to the hotel after that.

Entering the hotel lobby that night, I was surprised I wasn't arrested on site for public intoxication. The woman at the counter merely laughed at me, shaking her head. "First time with alcohol?" she asked as Edward, supporting me, passed her.

"First and _last_," Edward growled, punching the elevator button.

After being half dragged, half carried to my bed, I sank onto it with relief. Edward pulled my shoes off and threw a blanket over me. "You can not handle alcohol for _anything_, Jake," he sighed, the corner of his lip twitching up in a reluctant smile.

"Paul…Emmett…kept giving me more…stomach ache…" I groaned.

"They gave you more after I cut you off?" he asked in incredulity.

I could only nod my head. The room was spinning.

"Well, then I'll be talking to them. Goodnight, Jacob. Don't be too hung over tomorrow. You're getting married, remember?"

He shut the light off and went out. I lay staring up at the ceiling for a long time, letting what he'd said sink in. Getting married. Tomorrow. I was staying away from the champagne at the wedding. That was for _damn_ sure.

* * *

[1] French Translation for 'Tasty Recipes'

[2] French Translation for 'Can I please order chickens wings?'

[3] French Translation for 'Of course! Is there something wrong with the food, Mister?'

[4] French Translation for 'Nothing was wrong. My friend did not like what he ordered.'

[5] French Translation for 'I see. Your wings will be right out.'


	14. Chapter 14: Forever Wed

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or it's characters.**

A/N: It's tiiiiiime! *wedding bells chime* Enjoy the chapter! Feel free to follow, favorite, review, or recommend to friends! ^_^

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN: FOREVER WED**

I was panicking. It was _time_. Eight years ago, when I'd first imprinted, I'd known this day would come. It was finally here. I was getting married.

Alice and Bells were upstairs fussing over Nessie while I had my anxiety attack. I was standing in my underwear staring at my expression in the mirror. I looked terrified and about to be sick. I _felt_ it, too.

I wasn't really hung over, thank God. Edward would've killed me if I had been. Come hell or high water, nothing was ruining his baby girl's big day.

Emmett ran over to me. "Put this on," he said, throwing the tuxedo at me.

I hurriedly yanked the pants on, hands shaking.

"I'm the minister," he grinned as I dressed.

"_What_?" I groaned.

"Yep. Got my license off the internet and everything. Rose is playing the wedding march, Alice and Bella are bridesmaids, and Seth is the best man."

"Fun," I said, looking in the mirror. My hair stuck up in the back, and no matter what I did, it wasn't going down.

Esme practically danced in. "Sit," she commanded.

I did, and she immediately attacked my hair, combing it and drowning it in hairspray.

I coughed, waving a hand in front of my face. "I smell like a girl," I complained.

"A very _handsome_ girl. It's perfect. I'm proud to call you my grandson."

I smiled at her, blushing.

"Now get out there and stand at the front, both of you. Emmett, here's the rings."

We jogged up the aisle to the front, Emmett goofing off the whole way. When we got to the front, he opened the Bible to a random page and closed his eyes as if in prayer, a very solemn look on his face. He cleared his throat and started reading out of Genesis.

When he came to the part about Adam and Eve realizing that they were naked, he opened his eyes wide. "_Luckys_! When I run around naked, Esme yells at me!" The audience chuckled, and Esme gestured wildly for him to basically shut the hell up.

Looking out, I saw both wolf packs, apart from murderous scum Jared, the Denali clan, Sue Clearwater, Billy, Charlie, Carlisle, Esme, Jasper and a bunch of others. I noticed the packs were wearing their suits from the day before. They were probably the only suits they owned. I also noticed that Charlie was fighting back tears, preparing to watch the second most important girl in his life after his daughter be given away.

When Rosalie started playing the wedding march, Emmett frantically flipped to the right page, and my heart started racing.

Alice and Bella walked slowly down the steps with bouquets, easy natural smiles on their faces. But I doubt anyone was watching _them_.

When Nessie came down the steps on Edward's arm, my heart clenched. She was so beautiful that all I wanted to do was wrap my arms around her and never let go. She was wearing a sweetheart neckline gown, which was tight fitting until right below her slender waist, and then it flowed away from her body and to the floor in a full sweeping skirt. Embroidery had been placed tastefully on the bodice, and a dainty emerald necklace accented her pale neck. Her bronze curls were swept up away from her face in an up-do, and only a small curl had been spared so that it stroked the side of her face with every step. When she reached me, she took my hand, smiling.

I saw that she was wearing the very same clip in her hair that her mother had worn to _her_ wedding. I smiled, wondering who had the guts to stand up to Alice and add it to the ensemble.

Emmett cleared his throat. He was a goof, but he knew his ass would be beat if he didn't act serious now.

"We come here today to witness the union of Jacob Black and Renesmee Cullen. They are a very…special couple, to say the least. They've known each other for…" he hesitated. "Some time now. Everyone knew they'd end up together."

He started reading the traditional wedding lines from the Bible. I saw that Esme had highlighted what he was supposed to read so that there was no way he could possibly screw it up. I realized that the Cullens had basically held their breath and crossed their fingers when they told Emmett he could be the minister. He was pretty unpredictable.

Emmett closed the Bible. "Instead of boring you all further, I'll cut to the point. Do you, Jacob Ephraim Black, take Renesmee to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

"I do," I said firmly, trying and failing not to grin.

Emmett turned to Nessie, trying to keep his own smirk off his face. "And do you, Renesmee Carlie Cullen, Take Jacob to have and to hold, in sickness and in health, as long as you both shall live?"

"I…do," Nessie half sobbed.

Emmett handed us our rings, which we slipped on each others' fingers.

"Then I declare you man and wife. Jacob, you may now kiss the bride," Emmett grinned, waggling his eyebrows at me.

Ignoring the 'aww's from the audience, I held my wife close and kissed her.

"Edward, you first," Esme said. It was after everyone had gone home, and Esme was making everyone give a speech on how super awesome it would be to have me in the family before Nessie and I headed to IsleEsme. I'm pretty sure that Edward was grateful in the delay.

Edward stood. "Jake, I'm going to be honest with you. For the first three years that I knew you…I hated you quite intensely. But after Nessie was born, things just sort of worked out. I think that most of it had to do with the fact that you stopped trying to steal my wife, and instead went after my daughter." He laughed. "I guess before I insult you any more, I should probably say that it's going to be pretty fun having you as a son-in-law." He sat down.

"Emmett, you're next," Esme said.

Emmett stood up, taking a deep breath. "Jacob, you're not the little annoying pest you were when I first saw you. You're still annoying…and a pest…but you're definitely not _little_ anymore. And I think when you grew, you got some maturity to go along with those muscles. You're kinder…sweeter. That's the Jacob I like." He sat down.

"Rosalie."

Rosalie sighed. "I was going to say how you were an annoying mutt with fleas, but Esme said I had to say nice things. So…you're sweet, I _guess_. You like to comfort people. Including me-which I don't deserve, considering my behavior towards you. I guess you have…pretty hair. And skin. I like your voice. And before I vomit, I'm going to shut up."

I grinned at her.

"Alice, you're up," Esme said.

Alice danced over to sit on my lap, holding my hand. "You're _amazingly_ sweet. And funny. I love you like my brother, or I guess now, my nephew." She kissed my cheek. "Your presence is comforting. I feel protected around you. I'm going to love having you in the family." She got off my lap and went to sit down.

Esme nodded at Jasper.

"Well, I'm not gonna sit on your lap, but…" he started, making me laugh. "Unless you want me too," he added. I laughed again. He grinned. "Okay, Jake. You_ are_ sweet. _And_ comforting. I mean…I would have no idea how to comfort Alice with some of her emotional 'female' problems, so you save me there. But there's more to you than being sweet and comforting. You have _very_ sincere emotions. You're not fake. And I admire that. There's not many people like that left in the world. You're one of those few people. Welcome to the family."

After he finished, Bella stood without being cued. "Jake, we've had an extremely long past together. I've known you since we were both small, and we grew up together, so I know your heart and feel more comfortable having you with Nessie than I would with anyone else. I look forward to having you in our family…forever."

After Bella was finished, Carlisle and Esme poured their hearts out to me as well. As much as I hated to admit it, I was just as proud to be in those vampires' family as they were to have me in it.


	15. Chapter 15: Surprise

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns Twilight. Not me. **

A/N: Sorry I couldn't get this uploaded sooner guys, I've had a crap couple of days and really haven't been able to find time. There's a bit of a time jump from the last chapter to this chapter, but not much. Just a couple weeks. So enjoy the chapter and drop your jaw at the crazy surprise in this chapter!

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN: SURPRISE**

We had been back for less than twenty four hours, and I was still in utter shock about how beautiful and amazing our honeymoon had been. IsleEsme had been gorgeous, of course. I thought Bella had made all that crap up. But it really had been pretty. Nessie and I had spent almost every night on the beach watching the sunset, and then we'd collapsed into bed exhausted.

I'd just been headed towards nice warm bath in the 35,000 dollar shower/tub that had been Alice's idea, when a shrieking sounded from the bathroom and a blur of curls and high pitched noises hurled itself out the door.

Jacob! I'm pregnant!" Nessie skidded into the living room, face flushed.

I wasn't sure I'd heard her right. _My_ wife…pregnant? To my knowledge, that wasn't even possible! She couldn't conceive a child, she was done changing! Her body wasn't equipped to handle that…at least that's what I'd thought. Obviously, I was _way_ wrong.

"I…you…you're…we're…that's…_great_! You're kidding me!"

"Nope! Wanna come see the blue test strip?"

"I'll pass. Wow, babe! That's awesome!" I cried, wrapping her in a hug.

Emmett appeared in the doorway, frowning. "What are you in here screaming about?" he asked. "You didn't already catch the place on fire with Jacob's sucky cooking, did ya?"

"No! Emmett, I'm pregnant!" Nessie screamed, jumping up and down.

Emmett's eyes went huge, and he blinked. "Oh Lord. I'm outta here," he said, disappearing. "Nessie's pregnant!" he yelled as he ran across the yard.

Within seconds, the whole Cullen family was there, plus Billy. All the girls started squealing their excitement to Nessie, most of the boys stood there awkwardly, Carlisle was pushing and shoving to get a better look, and Edward looked murderous, though he tried to hide it.

"Carlisle, I _want_ an ultrasound done on her," Bella said excitedly.

"Come on, Papaw, _now_!" Nessie begged, pulling on him with one hand and absently cradling her flat stomach with the other.

Carlisle glanced at Jasper, and it suddenly got very calm in the room. "Unless you are Edward, Bella, Jacob, or Nessie, please exit the house immediately," he said.

Single file, the rest walked out.

When Jasper left, so did the peace. Nessie started squealing again.

"Calm, calm, calm," I coaxed.

"Aren't you excited? You have a son or daughter!"

"Listen, babe. I'm _extremely_ excited. But you have to calm down so that Carlisle can do the ultrasound," I said.

"Nessie, are you _absolutely_ sure?" Carlisle asked.

"Yep. Come look at the strip!"

Carlisle complied, obviously not completely believing her. When he walked back out of the bathroom, he turned to look at me with a perplexed expression. He raised his hands in defeat. "She's pregnant, Jacob."

Nessie started squealing again.

Carlisle led us out of the house across the yard, to the Cullens' main house. As soon as we were inside, the excited chatter started up again.

Rosalie smiled, but somehow it looked a little forced. "Ten bucks on a girl," she said, sounding strained.

Eventually, we made it upstairs, and Carlisle unloaded the equipment. Nessie couldn't sit still long enough to help, so she sort of danced around as Carlisle and I rolled the heavy machinery into the room.

Soon, we were gasping over the grainy images of our baby…boy. Nessie had her eyes closed as Carlisle ran the pad over her stomach, all the while watching the monitor.

I held Nessie's hand, and she squeezed lightly. "Our own little wolf boy," she whispered.

Suddenly, Carlisle gasped and blinked at the screen, as if he thought he was seeing wrong.

"What?!" Nessie said, sitting up quickly.

I gently pushed her back down.

Eyes bugging out, Carlisle gestured for me to come look at the monitor. Expecting the worst, I walked over. What had happened…?

What I saw made my jaw drop. As soon as I recovered, I started grinning ear to ear. When, seconds earlier, there had clearly been the image of a little boy, now I saw a little wolf fetus, wriggling around.

"What, What?!" Nessie asked frantically.

I swallowed. "Umm…nothing _bad_, I guess, but it seems like our little boy inherited some of my…talents."

"Don't screw with me, Jacob Black, what do you mean?"

I started to say more, but the little wolf once again popped back into a kid. "He was a wolf!" I said breathlessly.

Nessie squealed. "Seriously?"

"Yeah! Ness, he was so cute!"

"Okay, Ness, you're all done," Carlisle said, removing the pad from her abdomen and shaking his head with a crooked smile.

Nessie stood up, pulling her shirt back down.

"Alright, guys. So the fact that the child can turn into a wolf might cause Nessie a little discomfort as the pregnancy excels, but nothing major. She will most likely have to eat a diet consisting of some human food to keep the child healthy, as he will probably have Jacob's diet because of the shape shifter factor. Just stay off your feet as much as possible, and eat a balanced diet of human food, and you should be just fine."

Nessie nodded, turning to me. "Seth Masen Black," she said firmly.

"Huh?" I asked blankly.

"That's what we're naming him. I mean…if it's okay with you." That last part was accompanied by a blush, as her confidence faded.

"It's fine with me, honey, but why Seth Masen?"

"Well, Seth, because I wanted part of his name to come from the wolf pack….and I didn't think you'd want a Jacob Jr. or well…a Paul. Masen, because that was Daddy's last name before he became a vampire. It sort of brings the shape shifters and the vampires together, considering that's what he'll be doing simply by existing."

"I love it," I said, wrapping her in a hug. "I was never good at picking out names anyway. All my childhood teddy bears' names were Teddy 1, Teddy 2, Teddy 3, etcetera."

Nessie laughed. She stretched up on her toes to kiss Carlisle's cheek. "Thanks, Papaw." She placed a hand on her stomach. "There's a life in there," she murmured.

"Amazing, isn't it?" Carlisle asked. "The human body and its capabilities never cease to intrigue me."

"Definitely," Nessie agreed. "I never even considered children; it was just never an option for me. But when I felt sick to my stomach, I just tested on a whim…and I'm so glad I did."

I kissed Nessie's forehead. "Seth Masen Black will have the most remarkable mother in the world," I whispered.

Smiling, Carlisle walked out of his study to give us some privacy.


	16. Chapter 16: Emmett's Accident

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns the Twilight Saga.**

A/N: Sorry for the delay in chapter release, I was sadly busy. Trust me, I'd have rather been sitting here uploading for everyone, but the stupid REAL WORLD had to cut in. ^_^ I hope you enjoy the chapter where the drama starts back up! I couldn't keep it away forever, could I? ;)

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN: EMMETT'S ACCIDENT**

A week later, Rosalie disappeared. I was the one to find her. She was crying, curled up on the floor in a corner. "Hey, hey, what's wrong?" I asked, sliding down next to her.

"Nothing. Go away," she growled.

I ignored her, scooting closer. "What's wrong?" I repeated.

She broke down. "First Bella, now Nessie, the Lord knows how much I want a baby, but because I was cursed to this life, I can't have one! I _hate_ Carlisle for saving me! He should've let me die…I'd rather be dead than have to face the agony of this. _I want a_ _damn child_!"

I didn't know what to say, so I just let her continue to vent.

"I've always wanted to know the feeling of looking into my newborn's eyes that first time. Now, because I'm messed up, I can't!"

"You're not messed up. I guess, since you're a vampire, some…_things_…stop working," I said, grimacing at the statement.

Rosalie let out a tiny laugh, shaking her head. "Don't hurt yourself, Jacob. _I'm_ the girl here, remember?"

"For that, I am eternally grateful," I said, pretending to shudder.

She laughed once, and then sighed. "I just want a normal life," she said quietly.

"I understand that. But none of us have normal lives, and we just have to deal with it. I'm not trying to be insensitive, I promise. But it's something we're all going to have to get over. Some of us in different ways than others, but it's still hard sometimes."

"You're right," Rosalie mumbled, standing.

I planned on going to find Emmett and talk to him, so he could comfort Rosalie. It just _wasn't_ going to work with me, no matter how much I tried. We had too many bad feelings between us to ever really be able to be civil to each other for long. "Where's Emmett?" I asked.

"He went hunting. He's actually been gone for quite a while, now that I think about it," Rosalie frowned. "It's kind of scaring me."

"Why? Maybe he just took a long hunting trip," I said.

"Edward can't read his thoughts anymore," Rosalie said quietly.

"Is that normal?" I asked, the stirrings of unease in my stomach.

Rosalie shook her head. "I'm going looking for him," she said.

"'Kay," I replied, secretly relieved. Honestly, I was grateful for an excuse to get away.

On her way out the door, Rosalie turned. "You know, I don't hate you so much anymore, Jacob Black," she said. Then she flitted into the woods.

"Huh. Well, that's good," I mumbled.

About five minutes later, we all heard Rosalie scream.

Not a sad, drawn out scream, or even an angry piercing scream…I'd heard the latter plenty of times, and I knew that one well enough. It was a bloodcurdling scream of horror, and it sliced right through me.

Everyone took off running in the direction of the noise. I was the first to reach her. She was kneeling on the ground, gasping hysterically, and lying beside her was…well…I _guess_ you could say it was Emmett. Pieces of him. An arm here, a leg there. And the most horrific yet, his head, by her feet, eyes closed.

Rosalie screamed again, stroking Emmett's hair and holding herself with one arm, as if she would fall apart. In a strange way, that small gesture reminded me of how Bella had behaved while Edward had been out of her life. To Bella, it had felt as if her whole body would come apart if she didn't hold it together. Rosalie may have been feeling similar.

I was oblivious when the others entered the clearing, gasping and emitting screams of their own. My only concern was Rosalie. I only _sort_ of heard Carlisle command the others to grab the pieces. I was busy picking her up and running with her as she gasped to take her back; that she didn't want to leave him.

I sat her on the couch as she buried her face in her hands. Nessie sat down beside her, holding her against her own body.

The others whizzed upstairs, and Rosalie sobbed more heartbrokenly.

"It'll be okay, Rose, it'll be okay," Nessie murmured quickly, patting her back.

"N-no it wo-won't!" Rosalie wailed.

"I promise you, it will! They're fixing him!" Nessie whispered fiercely, as if trying to convince herself as well.

"He's dead!" Rosalie cried. "I know he is!"

Nessie simply patted her back soothingly, and I sat on Rosalie's other side.

It seemed like forever had passed when a hoarse voice said from the hallway, "I'll take it from here."

Rosalie, Nessie and I looked up all at once.

Emmett sort of limped his way into the room, wincing. Rosalie threw herself at him, and they both collapsed into a chair. I could tell that Emmett was still really weak.

"You're dead. I saw-" Rosalie sobbed.

"Shh, Rose, I'm not dead, I'm right here," Emmett whispered.

"I saw-" Rosalie started again.

"It doesn't matter what you saw. Forget what you saw. I'm right here, and that's all that matters."

The others flitted downstairs, sitting down wearily. Nessie absently put her hand on her rapidly growing belly.

"What happened, Emmett? What did you see?" Carlisle asked.

"Honestly, the last thing I remember seeing is a deer…then I woke up in Carlisle's office hurting like hell, with you guys hovering over me," Emmett said.

"What did you read in his emotions, Jasper?"

"Well…there was never any fear…they just sort of stopped."

"Same thing with his thoughts," Edward added, looking concerned for his brother's well being.

"Interesting," Carlisle murmured.

"It had to have been a newborn. Whoever it was wasn't smart enough to burn the pieces," Bella said.

"I don't believe a newborn could've taken Emmett by surprise," Jasper contradicted with a shake of his head.

"Maybe they didn't want to _kill_ him. Maybe they were just giving us a warning," Esme suggested.

"What could they be _warning_ us about?" I asked in confusion.

Then it clicked. All eyes flickered to Nessie.

"What?" she asked.

Then her hand reached down to touch her stomach. "No," she whispered.

"Nessie…someone doesn't want you having that baby," Alice said quietly.


	17. Chapter 17: The Letter

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

_A/N: Sorry, this is a short chapter guys. :( I noticed that a few of them are much shorter in length than others, so for that I apologize. But still, feel free to follow or favorite me/the story, recommend it to other users, and review what you've been given so far! You guys are the best. 3 Enjoy! xxx_

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: THE LETTER**

"Who would care? I mean, he's a _baby_!" Nessie protested.

"A baby that I can absolutely guarantee is the first of his kind. One third human, one third vampire, one third shape shifter," Edward said gently.

"It could be the Volturi," I said, shivering mentally at the name.

"Hmm…that theory _does_ seem the most likely," Carlisle agreed.

"Does this mean that Aro will come back?" Nessie asked eagerly.

When the Volturi had first come to Forks, Nessie had adored Aro. After he'd left, she'd chattered endlessly about him, all because he hadn't been a prick to her. He hadn't been exactly _nice_, either….he had, after all, come to kill her, but I think something melted inside his rock hard heart when he'd held her. I wasn't sure, but maybe…

"Ness, just cause _you_ like Aro, doesn't mean he's the good guy," I said, rolling my eyes.

Nessie crossed her arms. "Aro's _awesome_," she said. But then she winced, rubbing her belly. "But apparently Seth doesn't think so," she added.

"What don't I think?" Seth asked, ducking in the door. I forgot that he hadn't been around since Nessie figured out she was pregnant.

"Not you," I said.

"Last time I checked, I was the only Seth around here," Seth said.

"Not anymore," I grinned, the subject changing quickly.

Seth's eyes glanced at every girl in the room, finally landing on Nessie.

He studied her for a minute, looked down at her bulging stomach. "You're knocked up," he accused.

Nessie rolled her eyes. "Seth Masen Black. You like it?" she asked.

"I'd like it more if you came up with your _own name_, THANK you," he said. He flopped down next to Edward, something to expect by this point. Edward had learned to put up with it, knowing Seth couldn't help the strange feelings that the powerful imprint had given him.

Seth glanced over at Emmett, who was still a sickish grey color, with a few cracks left in his skin.

"Dude, you look like _hell_! What happened?"

"I got ripped into pieces," Emmett replied flatly.

Seth took as sarcasm, and rolled his eyes. "What _really_ happened?"

Emmett glared at him. "I'm dead serious," he growled.

"Oh," Seth said awkwardly. "Why?"

"Absolutely no idea," Emmett said with a passive shrug.

"That's sort of what we're trying to figure out. We think it may be the Volturi," Edward said.

Seth groaned. "Not them again. They're just big bullies," he said.

"Aro is_ not_!" Nessie said.

"Can it, Nessie, you were one that last time," Seth grumbled.

"And I'm eight now! You're point?" She burst into tears.

"Jeez, Ness, I didn't really mean it…" Seth started. He was male, and therefore even the threat of female tears terrified him.

I waved him off. "She's just emotional. One step in being pregnant," I said.

"And you know this from _experience_, Jacob?" Emmett asked, eyebrows raised.

"No," I mumbled. "But I've watched it happen."

Nessie wiped her tears dry. "Jake, go get me a salad, will ya? Carlisle said I had to eat healthy human food."

"'Course," I said, standing.

I walked into the kitchen to get Nessie a salad, rather than face another tear fest. Because my wife or not, I was male too.

The next few days continued uneventfully, except for Nessie's complaints about Seth Mason's fast growing. Since no more attacks had taken place, we dropped the Volturi theory all together and assumed that Emmett's mishap had simply been a newborn picking a fight. That is…until we received a letter in the mail.

_Dearest Renesmee and Jacob,_

_We couldn't help but overhear that you were expecting a baby boy. At first, we were exceptionately happy for you, that is until we detected one small problem. You see, your son will be completely unique, as we thought you were, Renesmee. We have absolutely no idea whether or not your son will be a danger to the humans, so we have no choice but to give you two options. Either you can abort the baby on your own terms, or we would be more than happy to come take care of him for you. Your choice._

_Sincerely,_

_Aro and Guard _

Nessie had read the letter first, and then come running to me in panic-stricken tears. "Jacob, Aro's _not_ good! It was him behind this the whole time! Jacob!"

I'd read the note in confusion, vampire pale by the end. "No. it really is them…_Edward_!"

Within seconds, Edward and Bella were both standing there. Edward immediately picked up on my thoughts and made an odd sound in the back of his throat.

"What?" Bella asked anxiously.

I silently handed her the note. It took her about two seconds to read it, and then she swayed dangerously on her feet. She gulped. "This isn't good," she whispered.

And we didn't have all the time in the world to figure it out, either. Nessie was already quite large, due to the accelerated growth. The baby was almost fully grown, just about a week until his due date. So unsurprisingly, we were scared.

"I will _not_ allow Seth to be destroyed," Nessie vowed. "Not while my heart is still beating."


	18. Chapter 18: Seth Masen Black

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Myer and her brilliant mind own ****_Twilight_****. I don't.**

_A/N: And thus this chapter introduces a new character to the already screwed up plot line. XD Picture the cutest little olive complexioned boy you can imagine, and you have Seth Masen. I don't want to give too detailed a description of him, or any of the characters, because I know as a reader that I always like to make my own image in my head of the characters. So based off what I've given you, add your own characteristics to him and you have the perfect new hybrid child! :D Enjoy! xxx Don't forget to follow, favorite, and review! _

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: SETH MASEN BLACK**

Six days later, Jasper was attacked. We knew it was the Volturi, since they'd left the note, and we were mad.

Once he had been put back together, he was fuming. He paced back and forth, eventually putting an indention into the hard wood floors. "Not right," he kept snarling. His hands were curled into fists, his teeth mashed together. "I want to _rip_ them limb from _limb_!"

Jasper almost never had a short temper, him being the 'calm one' and all, and it surprised me. But I didn't have time to ask him about it.

Nessie said three little words that made him stop in his tracks. Actually, it froze every vampire in the room. "Jacob, it's time."

"Now?" I asked frantically, coming to grab her hand.

Nessie hesitated, and then her fingers locked painfully tight around mine. "Now," she insisted through her teeth.

"Get her upstairs, carefully," Carlisle instructed calmly.

I tried to pick Nessie up, but Rosalie was there before I had a chance to bend. "I've got her," she hissed, lifting a bone pale Nessie into her arms.

She whizzed upstairs. I followed quickly, as did the other Cullens. By the time I was in Carlisle's office, Rosalie was helping Nessie into a generic looking hospital gown.

Edward was hovering helplessly, not sure what to do. The only birth he had ever experienced had been his wife's, and it had been a horrible bloody one. This obviously wasn't going to end up like that.

"How do you feel?" Rosalie asked, taking the question straight from my mouth.

"Well, sick and in pain, but also _really_ excited, you know?" Nessie said breathlessly.

"No…I don't…and I never will," Rosalie muttered.

"Oh, Rose, I didn't…I'm…"

"Forget it Nessie," Rosalie said, plastering a grin back on her face. "This is _your_ big day."

"_Really_ big," Nessie said, as Rosalie lifted her onto a hospital bed. It was weird how the Doc kept all this medical stuff around, ready to appear at any time. Talk about taking your work home with you! But, sadly, Carlisle had quit his job at the hospital a few years back.

Rosalie turned to me. "Well, what are you waiting for?" she demanded.

"What do you mean?" I asked, dumb-founded.

"Get over there and hold her hand!_ Duh_!"

"Oh, okay, um…" I said, going over to kneel by Nessie. I grasped her warm hand in mine.

"Jake, you don't have to do this," Nessie said.

"Yes, you really don't, because I'd be more than happy to," Edward suggested.

Nessie stiffened and dug her nails into my palm. "Okay, you do, you do, you DO!" she cried, changing her mind quickly.

I looked up at Edward anxiously.

"I think it's over," Nessie breathed. Then her legs curled up in agony. "No it's not, no it's not, no it's not," she gasped.

"Carlisle?" I moaned. Ironically, I reminded myself of Edward eight years ago when Bella had been brutally getting her ribs broken by Nessie and he'd pleaded Carlisle to help. At the time, I had been angry with him. _You're just as capable!_ I'd thought. But now I knew the feeling. There was nothing he could've done. And there was not a single thing he could do now. Him, me, or even Carlisle.

"I'm sorry, Jake. The baby keeps turning into a wolf," Carlisle replied, looking just as miserable that he couldn't help as I _felt_.

"He's scared," I said immediately. "When we're scared, the automatic response is to turn into a wolf."

_"UNSCARE HIM!"_ Nessie demanded shrilly.

"Jacob, you can communicate with the other wolves through their thoughts, right?" Emmett asked, thinking quick on his feet.

"Yeah, but only if we're both wolves and only if the other wolf is in my pack."

"Well, he has to be in your pack, he's your son! Try it!"

I jogged into the hallway, stripping off my clothes and turning into a wolf.

Poking my head back in, I thought, _Seth, honey, if you can hear me, can you turn back into a human and stay that way? You're hurting Mommy._

Call me crazy, but I thought I heard a quiet _Yes..._

Instantly, Nessie's legs uncurled. "Better," she gasped.

I turned back into a human, then rushed back in. "It worked," I grinned.

Nessie groaned, laying her head back against the pillow. "Is he a wolf again?" I asked in disbelief.

"No, but wolf or not, Seth wants out of there pretty bad."

"Then let's let him out. Nessie, when I say, now, I want you to push," Carlisle said.

I got really lightheaded all of a sudden, and, by the looks of it, so did Edward. He put his hand out on a table as if supporting himself from falling.

Nessie closed her eyes and nodded. "Now," Carlisle said, and I had to close _my_ eyes against the pain Nessie was inflicting on my hand.

"Now."

I heard Edward groan slightly, and even Emmett had fallen silent.

"Now."

Nessie's hand loosened around mine considerably, and I knew it was over. Thank God.

"Bring him here," she said quietly, looking over to me and smiling.

"He needs cleaned first!" Alice protested, and looking up. I saw a little boy looking around in wonder, and he opened his mouth into a wail.

"Alice, give him to me," Nessie said, her sweaty brow furrowing into a frown.

Alice relented, wrapping him in a blanket and handing him to her.

Despite the blood, he was the most beautiful thing I'd ever laid eyes on besides my wife herself. Warm dark brown, almost black eyes looked up at me. My eyes. He had a mop of black hair, wavy. His mother's nose and mouth.

"I've been a doctor for more years than I can count," Carlisle said quietly. "And I have to say, that was the _fastest_ delivery I've ever witnessed in my life. He really is a beauty, Nessie. You two did well."

"My beautiful baby boy," Nessie said, her eyes filling with tears.

I was wiping wetness out of my own eyes when Seth walked in…then walked right back out. Quickly. "Tell me when it's safe," he called through the door.

Nessie handed Alice the baby, pulled her hospital gown down over her knees, and pulled a blanket up to her shoulders.

When Alice started washing Seth Masen, she squealed.

"What?" Nessie asked fearfully.

"He just turned into a wolf," Alice giggled, holding up the little grayish puppy.

"He's adorable," Bella murmured, holding a hand to her heart.

"I know I am," Seth said, walking in without invitation.

"You just missed the most beautiful thing," Esme said, looking touched.

Seth made a face. "Okay, I'm sorry, but the things that were just happening in this room I'm _glad_ that I missed."

"With you there. I was covering my eyes the whole time," Emmett said, making a face.

"You didn't see anything," Nessie snapped, taking Seth back into her arms when Alice handed him over.

"Whatever you say," Emmett said, raising his eyebrows.

Nessie turned to Carlisle in horror. "Oh, Papaw, you didn't," she moaned.

"Birth is a beautiful thing, Nessie. It's nothing to be ashamed of," Carlisle said.

"Oh, but it's perfectly okay to display everything I own for Emmett's eyes?"

"I would've asked all the males besides Jacob to leave, yes, but there wasn't really time," Carlisle stated. "It all happened so fast…"

I laughed as Nessie's still mortified expression. "Chill, Ness. As much as he'd like to deny it, Emmett _did_ change your diapers."

Giving up, Nessie flopped back against the pillows. "I need a shower," she said.

"Why?" I asked in confusion. You'd think she'd want to take a rest and chill out with her kid.

"Jacob Black, you do not know the feeling of blood and sweat being places that…"

"Ew, alright, take a shower!" I said loudly.

"Exactly," Nessie said, handing me Seth Mason.

Seth was rolling with laughter in a corner.

Nessie started to get up, but collapsed back against the pillow. "Damn, that hurts," she winced.

Rosalie took Nessie into her arms, and then turned to me. "Go get an oversized tee shirt and a pair of your sweatpants from your house," she said.

"Why mine? They'll be huge on her," I said.

"That's the point."

I nodded, suddenly getting it, and went into the hallway. I bounded down the stairs, managed to trip over a pair of Alice's heels, and ran across the massive yard towards the woods.

To no one in particular, I shouted, "I'm a dad! What now?" and jumped up, pumping my fist in the air. I grabbed the clothing, and then raced back inside and upstairs. I handed the clothes to Rosalie, and then realized that everyone seemed to be working hard to keep a straight face.

"What?" I demanded.

"Well….we all heard your cute little outburst outside…" Esme said, pressing a hand to her mouth.

"Oh, that," I mumbled.

Everyone burst into laughter, while watching Seth do an exaggerated mime of my slip up.

I blushed, turning to Rosalie. "Just get her a shower," I muttered.

I took my son from Carlisle, gave Seth a look that clearly said '_Come on_,' and walked downstairs. I was suddenly very aware of every move that I made as I traversed down; usually, I jogged care freely, half the time, taking the steps two at once. But now…now that I had this dependent life in my arms…it was like Nessie all over again. I could remember how careful I'd always been while holding her…as if one stumble meant death. It was like that now.

I sat down on the couch, not sure what to do. They hadn't given me a bottle to feed him…

The rest of the Cullens eventually came down, flopping down in various positions around the room. Edward came down last, handing me a generic looking plastic baby bottle full of formula. It wasn't fancy like Nessie's had been…solid steel. Then again, Nessie would've bitten the plastic in two.

I tilted the bottle up, giving it to Seth Masen. He sucked eagerly, and I smiled. Besides my beautiful wife, he was the most perfect thing I'd ever seen.


	19. Chapter 19: Nahuel, And What He Brought

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns ****_Twilight._**

_A/N: This is a short chapter, but it's still kind of cute, or at least I thought it was. ^_^ The next few chapters definitely make up for it though. 0.o I hope you can forgive me for the lack of wordage in this chapter! Lol. Hope you like it! xxx_

**CHAPTER NINETEEN: NAHUEL, AND WHAT HE BROUGHT**

The next day, Charlie got to see Seth, and he was mesmerized.

"Jake, he's adorable. Almost as adorable as Nessie was…" he lowered his voice… "and _way_ cuter than Bella was."

Bella huffed. "Yes Dad, we all know that I was an ugly baby," she said impatiently.

"Somehow I doubt that," Edward murmured, wrapping his arms around her.

"Okay guys, there's a child present, lets keep it PG," Emmett joked.

"_You're_ one to talk," Bella said.

"Hey!" Rosalie said indignantly.

"Eh, Rose…kid's got a point," said Emmett, shrugging. He leaned over and kissed her sloppily on the mouth. "We aren't exactly _secretive_ about our relationship."

The rest of the day went in that fashion. We were forgetting our worries about the Volturi for once, and just enjoying being a family.

But, about two weeks later, by which time Seth could walk, but not yet talk, the doorbell rang.

I opened the door and Seth ran over, hiding behind my legs.

It was a being with dark skin and eyes. He didn't smell human; or even vampire. He actually smelled like…_Nessie_, and he held another dark skinned creature in his arms, a small girl with long black lashes.

"Can I help you?" I asked politely.

"Think, Jacob. We've met before. We met about seven and a half years ago," the person said.

How did this freak know my name?! But then it clicked. How could I have forgotten him? He had saved Nessie's life, had stopped the Volturi from killing her by simply existing.

"Nahuel?" I asked in disbelief.

"Yes, it is I. And I need your help, as well as the Cullens'."

Carlisle appeared. "Come in, Nahuel," he said graciously.

Nahuel entered. "The Volturi have said that if my father were to create anymore vampire human hybrids, they would have no choice but to destroy me and all of my half sisters. Well, my father did create one more, little Makenna here."

Makenna looked up at me cautiously, with big brown eyes and long black hair.

"And…" Carlisle prompted.

Nahuel swallowed. "They _can't_ know about Makenna. They'll kill her! Please, for me, raise Makenna as your own."

"Listen, Nahuel, the Volturi aren't very happy with us, either," I said.

Rosalie was behind me in an instant, whispering menacing words in my ear. "Shut the hell up and let me take care of this," she hissed. "We'd love to take her," she grinned at Nahuel.

"Thank you," Nahuel said gratefully, passing the toddler to Rosalie. She cooed, stroking Makenna's hair.

"How old is she?" she asked.

"Four weeks," Nahuel replied, his voice sounding choked. Of _course_ he didn't want to leave her; he knew he would never see her again. "I must leave now, Makenna. Be good for your new family," he whispered.

Big fat tears welled up in Makenna's eyes, but she nodded reluctantly.

"Thank you, Cullens," Nahuel said, kissing Makenna's forehead.

Then he was gone.

Makenna started crying quietly, and Rosalie tried to sooth her. "We're good people, sweetheart. We'll take care of you," she murmured.

"Rose, Emmett, will you raise…Makenna?" Carlisle asked, pinching the bridge of his nose as he closed the door.

"Yes!" Rosalie hissed joyously. Her breath hitched in her throat. "I have a daughter!" she cried.

Makenna looked at her warily, but then crawled into her lap. "You're my mommy now?"

Emmett grinned. "Yep. And I'm your daddy, kay?"

Makenna sniffed. "Maybe."

Emmett blinked. "_Maybe_?"

Makenna grinned, saying no more.

"Maybe," Emmett repeated, a small smile on his face. "Kid's got spunk. I like her already."


	20. Chapter 20: Persuasion

**Dislaimer: If you aren't aware that I don't own Twilight or it's characters by now, you should go back and read the last twenty disclaimers.**

_A/N: So here's a bit of a longer chapter to make up for the crappily short one last time. More drama, of course. (I should really start making my disclaimer to say something about not taking responsibility for how much of a soap opera my fanfiction is.) The chapter after this one probably has the most drama, at least highly intense drama, of the whole thing, then it calms down. Kind of. ^_^ Hope you like the chapter! Feel free to favorite, follow, and review! xxx ~TranquilGuardian_

**CHAPTER TWENTY: PERSUASION**

We started keeping little bags of blood in the fridge for Makenna, trying to wean her off of her diet of human. We didn't think it would be a good idea to just send her hunting…she'd get frustrated.

This was all fine and dandy until the Cullens realized it wasn't safe to go hunting anymore; the Volturi would be waiting. I mean, that _was_ how Jasper and Emmett got attacked…they were out hunting. So they didn't hunt.

Usually, when they were thirsty, they grabbed baggies out of the fridge. It turned their eyes a light shade of red, because it was human blood. I guess their philosophy was different if it was donated blood, because they drank it. They weren't happy about it, but they drank it. It wasn't as good as the real thing, to _them_ anyway, but it worked. Until they ran out.

Carlisle's black eyes flickered to me. "We can't go on this way much longer. We need to hunt," he said.

"Doc, I know you guys need to. But I just don't think it's safe," I said sympathetically.

We'd recently made a rule that Charlie wasn't aloud around, and it looked like soon, I'd be getting the boot too.

Bella moaned. "Jake, it _burns_. I mean, it can't hurt to just send out groups of two or three at a time," she said.

Billy was having the hardest time with it, as he was the youngest. He'd recently migrated to the third floor, where he stayed, moaning and groaning all day. The rest of the Cullens were a little better…though if Emmett looked at me so hungrily again, I was going to run.

"Bells, you know I hate it when you're in pain, but it's not safe!"

"Love, try to endure it," Edward murmured, his own black eyes glinting in thirst as he put his arms around her, pulling her into his lap.

Carlisle stood. "The wolves are outside. They would smell the Volturi if they were close. I'm going hunting."

I sighed. "Then I'll come. We can take one more."

"Bella," Edward said immediately. "Let her go."

"Whatever. Come on, Bella. Let's go risk your neck."

I got a dirty look from Edward, but I didn't care. It was the truth, and he knew it.

As soon as Carlisle and Bella had drained their stags, and we were heading back, it happened. Bella and I were pinned to the ground by our throats, and, looking over, I saw that Carlisle was too.

Felix had me, Alec had Bella, and Aro himself gripped Carlisle tightly. "Carlisle, my old friend, I'm sorry to say this, but we've come to destroy your great grandson," he grinned.

Carlisle glared at him.

"I will be kind enough to give _you_ freedom to go get your family, but I'm afraid I'll have to keep your two…family members," Aro said.

"Aro, how could you?" Bella demanded.

Alec pressed down tighter on her throat as Aro replied. "Simple. I gave you options, and you chose for yourself. Run along, Carlisle, go get your family."

Carlisle turned to Bella and me instead.

"No, Carlisle, get the others!" I yelled. "We can take care of ourselves!"

Felix tightened his grip, cutting off my air supply completely.

Carlisle turned and ran back towards the Cullens'.

"Let them up," Aro said easily, once he was sure Carlisle had gone.

Felix and Alec let go of us, and we sprang to our feet at once.

The rest of the Volturi guard strolled casually in, not at all as formal and nice as they had been last time. They knew that the façade was over…they were the bad guys in our eyes. Caius and Marcus came in last, robes billowing as they sauntered in. Jane grinned sweetly at Bella and I, and Bella growled.

I saw many new faces that I didn't recognize, and it scared me. Everyone that was privileged enough to be in the guard had very valuable gifts. They didn't let just any old vampire in.

"When I say run, _run_," I whispered to Bella, so low that even I could hardly hear it.

She nodded slightly, looking at me in fear.

I waited about ten seconds, pretending to give in and slump down.

"RUN!" I yelled.

Bella and I took off, and it surprised me that none of the guard followed us. With a blow that knocked the air out of me, we bounced off of midair like a brick wall and landed on our butts.

"Oh, I_ do_ love it when that happens. A physical shield is a very useful talent," Aro laughed.

I snarled in fury.

"Amanda? I'd appreciate it if you took sweet young Bella's shield from her," Aro said.

"Yes, Master," the girl named Amanda purred.

"You can't take a vampire's talent away from them," Bella hissed.

Aro raised his eyebrows. "Oh, really? Try shielding your _dear_ Jacob," he said.

"Fine," Bella said confidently.

Before I could protest, I was bent double in pain.

"Arghh!" I groaned, clenching my stomach. It felt like I would throw up. Bile rose in my throat as I looked up at Bella in confusion.

"Okay, I get it! I can't shield him! Stop!"

Aro grinned, and suddenly the pain was gone. "Ryan is a very useful member of our guard. Who knew that the overwhelming urge to 'up chuck' could be so convincing to people that I need to talk since into?"

"Go ahead and make me puke. You won't get me to give up my son," I snarled. Where the hell was the rest?!

As if on cue, there was a voice behind me. "Let them go!" It was Edward's loud and infuriated voice that I heard.

Bella and I whipped around, relief clear upon our faces, I'm sure. The entire Cullen family, minus Billy, Makenna, and Seth Masen were there. Along with both of the wolf packs, mine _and_ Sam's. Sam's pack had grown quite a lot in the last eight years. Checking twice, I saw that Seth was not among the wolves. Good, the kid didn't need to die with the rest of us…because it was inevitable. We _were_ going to die. We weren't prepared, and there was no way that they could get in to help us.

Nessie looked livid.

"Hello, Miss Renesmee, it's a pleasure to see you again," Aro said. "You've grown quite beautiful with age. Beauty that even some vampires would envy."

"Go to Hell, Aro!" Nessie screamed.

Emmett charged the Volturi, in his usual dopey manner. In Emmett's mind, act was before think on the list of what to do.

He got about halfway there, then bounced off of midair and landed hard. He yelled a curse word, charging again, with the same result. It almost made me want to roll my eyes.

"Physical shield," Edward murmured in horror.

"Yes, Edward, you are correct! It_ is_ a physical shield! And a very strong one, by the looks of it, with the way that idiot is banging against it," Aro said.

Caius looked like he was ready to smash some skulls, cracking his knuckles. Marcus looked bored, as usual. Go figure.

"You're the idiot, Aro, not him!" Nessie snarled.

Aro laughed merrily, as if this was a game. "I guess you don't like me any more, Renesmee. Oh well. I had high hopes for you, but being raised in _this_ family was sure to turn you against me. Pity, really. I could've used a…friend." He grinned at me evilly, and I had to bite my tongue before I said something not very nice at all. Something that would've probably gotten me murdered on the spot.

"Like I'd ever be with _you_, Aro," Nessie laughed bitterly. "Your wrinkled old ass doesn't hold any interest for me. And I'll _die_ before I give you Seth. You'll have to kill every single one of us before you get Seth."

I could've kissed her, right there in front of everyone, but I'm pretty sure Aro took it as a challenge.

Aro chuckled. "I see. I cannot force you to give up your son. But, I believe I can persuade you. Jane, dear, I do believe that handsome Jacob lacks the knowledge of how your gift feels."

I closed my eyes, knowing what was coming. Aro was right; I didn't know how it felt. But I knew it wouldn't be pleasant.

When the pain hit, my entire focus was on not screaming. It wasn't as bad as it had been when Hannah attacked me, but it was much worse then Carlisle breaking my arm.

Fists clenched, I tried to remain upright. Bella clutched my face in her hands, whispering comforting words that I couldn't even comprehend.

"Shield him, Bella!" I heard Alice scream.

"I…can't," Bella said through clenched teeth.

"Jane, you can stop," Aro said calmly.

When Jane stopped, it was the best feeling in the world. Like lying on a feather bed.

"Jacob?" Bella asked cautiously.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," I panted.

"Renesmee, would you like to go get your son?" Aro asked.

"Never!" Nessie screamed.

"Okay, have it your way. Jane, I believe its Bella's turn."

"No!" Edward screamed in obvious agony.

Bella took a deep breath. She didn't know how it felt either; her shield had never been taken.

"Edward…it…it has to be this. It's either this or Seth," she said in a shaky tone.

Edward moaned, but nodded.

Bella buried her face in my chest, and I clutched her tightly against me.

"Go ahead, Jane," Aro prompted.

Jane attacked. This time, I could tell she turned it up. Bella's convulsing body slumped toward the ground, and I caught her before she could hit her head.

Edward's fists were clenched so tight that he was shaking. The expression on his face was worse than the one on Bella's. He looked like the burning man again, the man he had been when Bella was dying from Nessie.

Finally, he charged, hitting the invisible barrier with his fists. "Let her go! Use me instead!" he yelled.

Jane stopped hurting Bella.

"Ah, but you see, Edward, you can tolerate pain in ways that sweet young Bella cannot. But we'd happily trade both your mate _and_ Renesmee's for Seth Masen Black."

Nessie bit her lip.

"Don't you dare!" I snarled.

Excruciating pain hit me. This time…I yelled. Spots appeared in my eyes as my yelling popped my blood vessels.

Abruptly I was on my back on the ground, gasping for breath. I saw movement in the woods behind the Volturi, and, squinting, I saw Seth as a wolf, crouched behind Amanda, the power stealer. Smiling slightly, I stayed on the ground.

'_Okay, Edward, act like you're thinking about giving up Seth. Pretend to discuss it with Aro. I have a plan.'_

Edward locked eyes with me for half a second, then looked at Aro and cleared his throat. "Aro…would it be possible to work out a compromise?" he asked slowly. He knew he had no choice but to listen. It was either take the chance, or everyone would die for sure.

"I'm listening," Aro said.

I got to my feet, preparing to set my plan into action. It was time to test my acting skills.

I shook my head slightly at Seth as he shifted anxiously.

"Well…we might be able to give up Seth. On one condition," Edward continued. He was obviously pulling things out of midair; he had no idea what to say next.

He glanced my way again.

"No!" the Cullens shouted in unison.

"You try to give my son to them, I'll…I'll kill you!" Nessie screamed, face twisted into a mask of horror.

Edward waved them down calmly.

"What condition might that be?" Aro asked, sounding genuinely entertained.

"Well, I…" Edward started.

I cut him off with a bloodcurdling shout. I wasn't in any pain, but Aro didn't need to know that. I dropped to the ground, yelling again.

"Jane, dear, not now," Aro said absently.

I stopped yelling.

"Master, I…"

I shakily stood, shooting a glare at her.

Jane looked back at me in honest confusion, eyebrows furrowed.

Edward caught on quickly after seeing Seth slink closer. Bella looked at me in wonder, and I gave her the slightest of smiles.

"Aro, we thought that…"

I locked eyes with Seth, and then screamed again, bowing backwards as far as my not so flexible body would allow.

"Jane!" Aro snarled. "Stop!"

The entire guard was focusing on Jane intently now, wondering why she was misbehaving so badly. There was rustling as everyone turned to look at the girl who had her mouth open in denial. "But…but Aro!" she said. "I'm-"

Nobody saw it coming when a large sandy wolf sailed over half the guard, coming down to neatly rip Amanda's head from her shoulders.


	21. Chapter 21: War

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns the franchise.**

_A/N: Here it is! Here's the dramatized scene! Okay, so I lied in the last chapter. I forgot that I'd split this chapter and the next, because they were originally one huge chapter. So now you've got TWO soap opera chapters. What's new? lol. Enjoy! xx_

**CHAPTER TWENTY ONE: WAR**

Immediately, I knew that Bella would have her power back. "Bella, shield us!" I cried, ripping into a wolf. I was getting too old for this…

The Volturi charged, which sucked for us, considering the fact that the only people who could help me were Seth and Bella.

I knew that my next task would be to find the person with the physical shield. I searched and searched, to no avail. My only comforts were that Bella was shielding me, and the fact that I was a good dodger.

After surgically removing Felix's head from his body, I finally found a dude that looked like he was concentrating hard. Taking a wild guess that he was the shielder and not just constipated, (could vampires get constipated?), I lunged.

Apparently, I was right. The rest of the Cullens and wolves rushed in, and the war began.

With Bella shielding us from any mental gift that the guard had, and the amount of people on our side, it was almost like the Volturi weren't trying.

Quite a few times, I had a vampire or shape shifter leap over me to get to another one, and I was wondering when I was going to end up squished under the weight of one of my own.

Nessie lunged at Demetri, and I watched in awe as my girl kicked the ass of a six foot tall bloodsucker.

Emmett let out a roar of pain and rage behind me, and I whipped around quickly. His arm was clutched like a prized trophy in the hand of a guard member. I went to help him, but he shouted, "I'm fine! Go help Carlisle and Esme with the witch twins!"

Whirling around once more, I saw Carlisle and Esme struggling to gain control of Jane and Alec, who were squirming around and trying to get away. Once they got a firm grip on them, they ushered me over to finish them off.

Upon seeing the gigantic russet wolf that was me come barreling towards them, Jane and Alec stopped struggling and held still, resigned to their fate. They knew they had no chance, with both of their gifts being ineffective.

I turned on Jane and she hissed pitifully, cringing into Alec. She closed her eyes.

"Not the fire, not again!" Alec cried.

I suddenly remembered the day long ago that Carlisle had explained to me that Jane and Alec had been tried as witches back in the 1700s and had been almost completely killed while being burned at the stake. Aro had saved them, sensing their raw power. _Not the fire, not again…_They knew that once they'd been ripped apart, they'd be burned.

Jane and Alecs' faces were twisted in fear as I stood stock still, preparing myself to kill these vampires. "I don't want to go back into the fire, Alec!" Jane yelled hoarsely.

"Jacob, don't listen to them! Kill them!" Carlisle commanded. I knew how much it hurt the Doc to say those words. He hated killing, despised it actually, and if he could help it, would've never taken anyone's life.

I stared into Jane and Alecs' eyes, feeling something like pity stir deep within me. As much as I hated these two, I mean, Jane herself had just been hurting Bella and me not twenty minutes before, they looked thirteen _tops_. I couldn't hurt a kid….

I huffed, turning away. If this meant that Alec and Jane were going to get away, then I would live with it.

They didn't. I heard the sound of ripping vampire behind me, and Esme's low muffled sobs of regret.

I turned and ran, seeing Aro. I was going to kill the head honcho himself! No one else was occupied with him, and I knew I would get this.

His back was turned to me and everything. I crouched, getting ready to dive.

There was suddenly a hard yank on my tail, and I turned, snarling. But it was only Emmett, laughing at me.

I scowled.

The number of hissing, snarling vampires was decreasing quickly, and the number of dismembered bodies was multiplying.

I saw Jane lying with her throat ripped out, eyes closed peacefully. Alec lay beside her, his throat also destroyed. I decided that Aro could wait.

Grabbing them in my mouth by the hoods of their robes, I dragged them deeper into the woods, setting them down. I painstakingly dug a hole, the irony caked on thick.

After the hole was about twelve feet deep, I dumped them in. I mean, I made sure they were face up and everything, but I didn't want any onlookers to think I was going soft on them.

I filled the hole and ran back to take care of Aro, which turned out to not be a good idea. I dove, but a millisecond before I made contact, Aro turned around. As I came up on my hind legs to attack, he wailed me in the chest with his hand, palm forward. I felt a sickening crack, and then exploding pain in my chest. It felt like all of my ribs were broken.

I started gasping for breath, and turned to run as well as I could. Aro grabbed my back legs, pulling hard. I felt the bone break up where the leg met my torso, and I fell to the ground. I whimpered in pain, lying there and waiting for him to make the final blow. I was honestly going to die!

I closed my eyes, waiting for the pain to end. It never did.

I opened my eyes wearily, wondering why Aro wouldn't just end it and get it over with.

Edward was ripping Aro's head off. "Jacob, phase back into a human, quickly!" he yelled over the noise. _Edward, but…_ I started. _Not in front of all these…_girls_!_

"Just do it! Does your modesty really mean that much to you? I'll carry you back to our house!"

Easy for him to say. He wasn't the one that was going to be naked. Panting in pain, I willed myself to turn back into a human. The second I did, Edward scooped me into his arms and sprinted as fast as he could without seriously injuring me back to the Cullens' house. He tried not to jolt me, but it still hurt so bad that my knuckles were white as I clenched my fists.

"We're almost there, Jake!" Edward moaned, picking up speed.

I could already feel my legs setting wrong, and, with a groan, realized that all these bones would have to be re-broken.

When we reached the house, Edward kicked the door open with his foot and flitted inside.

"What…?!" Billy started in panic, but Edward interrupted.

"For Jacob's sake, Billy, _please_ stay calm," he begged. I saw slight panic in his own eyes as he looked down at me. I saw myself reflected in the mirror on the wall, and I winced. It wasn't a pretty sight. I had a nice swelling forming over my chest in colors of purple and black, and my legs were bent awkwardly out in unnatural positions. And I was naked. Embarrassingly, _mortifyingly_ naked. In front of Edward, my dad, my son, and Makenna.

With one arm, Edward swept the dining room table clear of everything, not caring that china shattered on the ground.

He laid me on the table, then unbuttoned his shirt and laid it over my waist to preserve the small amount of dignity I still had.

Billy sat Seth Masen down on the floor gently and came to stand by the table with a pained look on his face.

Makenna jumped up from where she'd intently been reading Charles Dickens' _The Christmas Carol_ to scramble up onto the table beside me.

"Who's winning?" I breathed.

"Us," Edward said quietly.

Makenna reached out for me, but Edward picked her up and sat her on the floor. "You mustn't touch Jacob right now, Makenna. He's not feeling well. Run along and play with Seth," he said.

"But…"

"Please just listen to me right now, love."

Frowning intensely, Makenna hopped down and walked over to Seth. She sat down beside him and sighed.

How are you, son?" Billy asked.

"I'm...fine," I grunted. It was hard to breath with the broken ribs.

"I'll let Carlisle take care of you when he gets back," Edward said, laying his hand on my forehead in an effort to cool me down.

He gave himself up to the fight, tuning in on someone's thoughts.

"We're winning. Only Caius and Marcus are left. Seth just dove for Marcus…he pulled off an arm. He's heading for the other arm….Marcus just slapped him away." His breath caught, but he let it out quickly. "Seth's back on his feet. He just ripped off the other arm! Marcus is nearly dead. Yeah, Marcus is done."

He turned his attention to Caius.

"Everyone's closing in on Caius…Bella and Leah are taking him. No! _Leah_!" he roared, lurching forward and grasping at thin air.

I stopped breathing.

Edward reluctantly relaxed his stance, his face going even paler than usual. "She's…she's hurt. Badly."

Billy gasped, rushing over.

"What happened to her?!" I yelled, trying to sit up. It was a bad idea; I fell back against the table with a grunt of pain.

Edward simply shook his head. "Carlisle's bringing her back. Bella's finishing off Caius…he's done. We won." His voice wasn't joyful. "The others except for Bella, Seth, Sam, and Nessie are staying to burn the pieces."

I wanted to be glad that we'd won, but with the prospect that Leah was hurt, I couldn't.

Makenna once again tried to climb up onto the table beside me, but Edward rather impatiently snapped at her to go play.

"I can help!" she pleaded.

"No you can't. Run along."

Furiously, Makenna stomped off.


	22. Chapter 22: Happy Place

**Disclaimer: Not my franchise. Not most of my characters. I'm not a rib doctor. ;)**

_A/N: Here's the next chapter! I'm well aware that this story isn't the best put together. Some of that is due to the crappy transfer process from Word to , some of it is due to the fact that I was quite literally thirteen to fourteen years old when I first wrote this and fifteen when I edited it. Some of it is just due to the fact that I'm not always the best writer out there, but I try, lol. But regardless, cheers to all of you fantastic people for sticking with me regardless and looking forward to my updates! It's really a big boost to my self esteem. ^_^ Enjoy the new chapter, and remember; I know nothing of medical procedures, don't shoot me! XD xxx_

**CHAPTER TWENTY TWO: HAPPY PLACE**

The door burst open, and Carlisle, carrying a limp human Leah, flitted in. She was unconscious, and was wearing what looked like Aro's robe. Blood was steadily trickling out of the corner of her mouth.

I felt sick.

Carlisle laid Leah beside me on the table. "I'll need to treat her first," he murmured.

Bella, Nessie, Seth and Sam ran in. Nessie was huffing and puffing like she'd never stop, but Bella, Seth and Sam stood tense and upset.

The girls rushed to me, but Sam and Seth gave me a sympathetic look and gathered around Leah.

"What did you break?" Bella asked me frantically.

"I did good this time," I teased halfheartedly. "Just my legs and ribs."

Bella and Nessie exchanged a worried glance.

"What?" I asked weakly.

"Jake…you can't reset a shape shifter's broken ribs without cutting the skin open. They'll heal wrong too quickly if someone attempts to set them from the outside. "

"Says who?" I asked in fear.

I hadn't broken my ribs that last fateful time, so I didn't know exactly _what_ the procedure was.

Bella and Nessie didn't answer me, and I got really lightheaded all of a sudden. They weren't screwing with me, I could tell. Nessie was a horrible liar, almost as a bad as her mother had been as a human. Her flaming cheeks gave it all away.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Carlisle gently pulling Leah out of her robe, and I decided to not look that way again.

Edward appeared beside Bella. "Since Carlisle's so busy with Leah, I'm pretty confident I can take care of you," he said.

"On a scale of one to ten, how bad is this gonna hurt?" I groaned.

Edward thought about it. "Nine."

I sighed. "Get it over with, then," I said quietly.

Making sure his shirt was covering me, Edward scooped me into his arms and headed upstairs.

The smooth forest floor had been pretty easy to maneuver without hurting me that bad, but the stairs were another story. Edward tried to keep his movements slow and precise, but he was a _vampire_. Vampires had a natural instinct to go faster than the norm.

As we got to the top of the steps, I heard Leah scream in pain, and I inferred that she was awake.

Edward took me into Carlisle's study, and laid me on the hospital bed that was still out from when Nessie had given birth.

I heard Leah scream again, along with a few choice words.

Edward laid me down, and I groaned in pain. This _really_ didn't feel good…

I heard the door downstairs open, and then Emmett's booming voice. "We won, we won, we…hot_ damn_ she's naked!"

"Emmett!" Rosalie snarled.

I heard what must have been Leah growling through her clenched teeth.

"Emmett, leave the room," Carlisle said impatiently.

"Emmett, I need you!" Edward called.

There was the whisper of wind, and then Emmett was in the doorway. He shrugged, then started undoing his belt.

"What are you doing?" Edward hissed.

"Well, considering the fact that there are two naked people here, I decided I needed to join in on the fun."

Edward rolled his eyes. "Get over here and pin his head down," he commanded.

"My head? _Why_?" I asked frantically.

"So you won't go thrashing around when I make the first cut, that's why," Edward said. He whipped out a scalpel.

You've _got_ to be kidding me," I said in a dead tone, letting my head fall back against the pillow.

Emmett grinned and sauntered over to grip my head.

Bella and Nessie appeared in the doorway, looking small and frightened. "Can we come in?" Nessie whispered softly.

Edward turned to me for an answer.

"Yeah, sure, why not," I moaned.

The girls tiptoed in, coming to stand on either side of me.

"Jake, I really don't enjoy it when you're in pain, but I've always wanted to test my strength against you, and now's my chance. Not that I have anything to worry about, of course. I'm the strongest dude you'll ever meet, and…"

"Emmett, shut up," Bella said.

"Bella, Nessie, grab his hands," Edward instructed. "The last thing I need is to be smacked in the face by an agonized 250 pound shape shifter."

"You're 250?" Emmett asked curiously. "You don't look it. I hope all that meat is muscle, not fat. That would suck."

"Emmett!" Edward hissed. "I was estimating! I don't know how much he weighs, and I don't care! I was just making a point!"

"Jake, you're overweight then," Bella offered.

"Love, I don't honestly believe that he's 250 pounds," Edward said, his tone strained.

"He's 200," Nessie said helpfully.

Edward pinched the bridge of his nose. "Thank you, Nessie, for enlightening me."

Finally, Bella and Nessie did as they were asked and came to hold my hands. They realized they were pushing Edward's patience, obviously; and I didn't want to admit it, but they were pushing mine, too. I just wanted it over with.

"You don't have to be brave, Jacob. It's okay to cry," Bella said.

I took a deep breath. "I'm just going to close my eyes and go to my happy place for this entire procedure," I said. I shut my eyes.

"Did he hit his head, too?" I heard Emmett mutter.

I didn't care. I was in my happy place.

When Edward made the first cut, I felt Bella tense, ready for me to lose it. My chest flared up in red hot pain as he cut deeper, but I didn't scream. I didn't cry. I didn't even squeeze the two hands holding mine. I lay perfectly still. My teeth weren't gritted, my toes weren't curled, and my hands weren't in fists. I was perfectly relaxed.

I was trying not to focus on the searing pain I felt, and instead on my happy place. Nessie, Seth and I, a big happy family, totally unique. Laughing together, being loving…

"Why isn't he reacting?" Bella asked in a strained voice.

"It's…it's amazing, but…he's bearing it. He's being very careful, thinking that if he so much as bats an eyelid, he'll lose control," Edward said.

"Jake? Wait, is he even awake?" Bella asked.

"Oh, he's very much conscious. Don't be offended if he doesn't answer you, though, as he's afraid to even open his lips. He can hear every word we're saying."

More pain.

"Oh, it's horrible that he's holding everything in! Jake, scream already!" Nessie said.

"Damn, and I really wanted to wrestle him, too," Emmett said.

I continued to lie perfectly still.

"Jake, I know you can't answer me, but can you at least listen? Well…there's…there's a lot of blood, and I can't really stay here. I need to leave. Can…can you at least…I don't know, squeeze my hand if you're okay with this?" Bella asked.

Hesitantly, I curled my fingers around hers and slowly applied pressure. I was testing myself; I didn't know how much sudden movement I could make without taking the train out of my happy place back into the real world.

Bella let out a sigh of relief. "He responded," she said.

"I wouldn't ask him to do anything else. That was…extremely difficult," Edward said.

I felt Bella's lips press to my forehead, and I heard no more from her. I realized that my hand was now pressed flat to the bed.

"Daddy's almost done," Nessie whispered. "And Daddy?"

"Yes, Nessie?"

"I'm sorry I told you I would kill you."

"That's alright. I should have found some way to hint to you what I was going to do."

"This job is pointless. Can I leave?" Emmett complained.

"No," Edward snapped.

"Are you finished breaking his ribs?" Nessie asked.

He was breaking my ribs? I couldn't tell a difference in the frequency of pain.

"Yes. Jacob, your skin is re-healing as we speak. I'm going to move on to your legs."

Forcing myself to stay in control, I opened my eyes. The sight of so much of my own blood made me dizzy.

"He's turning green!" Nessie warned.

I swallowed. "I'm…not going to…be sick," I forced through my teeth.

"Okay, yay, you finally quit ignoring us. Can you please do me a favor and try to sling your head around?" Emmett asked.

I wasn't listening, as my ears were just now registering the fact that Leah was screaming. "What's…going…on?" I asked.

"Many of her bones had to be re-broken," Edward said grimly.

"Where's…Bella?"

"Outside in the woods with Billy and Makenna. She couldn't escape the blood," Edward smiled half heartedly. "I'm moving on to your legs."

"For the love of all that is Holy, _please_ try to yank your head!" Emmett begged.

I did once, to make him happy. My head didn't move much.

Emmett laughed. "I still got it," he grinned.

Trying to do it when I wasn't expecting anything, Edward snapped my right leg.

I managed to hold in my moan, which almost made _me_ smile. Emmett wasn't the only one who still had it.

Nessie's head fell against my shoulder. "I can't watch this," she groaned.

I reached over to stroke her hair. "Its okay, Ness," I murmured.

Edward broke the other.

This time, a gust of air blew out of my mouth, and I jerked. I looked over at Ness anxiously, to see if she'd noticed, seeing as her face had been pressed against my arm when it had happened.

She had.


	23. Chapter 23: She's Dying

**Disclaimer: All credit for general characters and setting to Stephanie Meyer.**

_A/N: I'm super tired tonight, guys, and honestly considered not uploading this until tomorrow. But I don't want to have to upload two tomorrow to make up for it, because that always seems to confuse people and they read the later chapter first. I don't like to confuse people. :o So no cute little message tonight, but I DO sincerely hope you enjoy the chapter. xxx (This is literally my fifth time writing this disclaimer and announcement, because my wifi is being stupid. -_- Fifth time's a charm?) _

**CHAPTER TWENTY THREE: SHE'S DYING**

I still heard Leah screaming. "How many of Leah's bones were broken?" I asked slowly.

Edward hesitated, reading Carlisle's thoughts. "Both legs, pelvis, all ribs, breastbone, collarbone, shoulders, and one arm." He winced.

I winced, too. Leah had it way worse off than I did. Her screaming abruptly cut off, tapering off into quiet sobs. Obviously, Carlisle had finished. She continued to sob, pained and drawn out. It broke my heart.

The skin on my chest was completely healed, but my ribs still had a deep healing ache. My legs…well, they were going to take a while.

Emmett sighed and unbuttoned his pants, pulling them down. His tight grey boxers stretched over his massive bare legs made me want to barf.

"Emmett, _what_ are you doing?" Edward hissed.

Emmett handed the blue jeans to Edward. "Get these on Jacob. I already have images of Leah that are going to scar me for life. The_ last_ thing I need is to see _his_ naked ass when remove your shirt," he said.

I attempted to roll my eyes, sweat dripping down my face.

Nessie grabbed my hand. "Don't make him move yet. He's broken enough as it is," she whimpered.

"Hmm," Edward murmured.

"Hmm _what_?" I demanded.

"Nessie has a point. It probably would've been easier to get clothes on you _before_ I re-broke your legs."

I glared. "Just. Do. It."

Edward bit his lip and gently eased my legs off the bed. He slid my ankles and calves through the holes, then removed his shirt and pulled them the rest of the way up.

I clenched my fists, taking slow deep breaths. If he didn't watch it, he was going to break them _again_.

"Is my assistance rendered unnecessary? I mean, you owe me, man. I gave you my pants," Emmett said.

"You can go," Edward sighed. "And tell Bella she can come back up. I'll clean the blood."

Emmett nodded, breezing out. I could tell when he hit the bottom of the steps, because I heard Rosalie's hiss. "_Emmett_! Where the _hell_ are your_ pants_?!"

"Long story," I heard Emmett say, and I snickered weakly.

Edward took a damp rag and sponged off my chest, taking the blood off with it. He cleaned the table around me as well, and just in time. Bella came back into the room, and this time, Seth and Billy trailed her.

"Hey, Jake," Seth whispered. His eyes were red and swollen, and his nose was stuffed.

"Hey, man," I whispered.

"How are you?" Billy asked.

"I'm alive. More importantly, how's Leah?"

Seth's face crumpled in pain. "She's…she's bad off, Jake," he said quietly.

"How bad off?" I demanded.

"Carlisle…doesn't know if she's gonna make it," Seth choked.

My stomach knotted. "Why?" I whispered.

"When her breastbone broke, her heart got knocked out of whack. We didn't initially worry about it; we'd thought it'd heal, but apparently when our hearts screw up, it doesn't. Right now, she's alive and kicking, but…her heart rate keeps dropping." A tear streamed down his cheek.

"Oh, Seth, come here," Bella moaned, holding her arms out. Seth stumbled into them like a child, burying his face in her hair.

I closed my eyes. I was anything _but_ religious…I hadn't gone to church since I was nine. I think I read the first two pages of Genesis, then gotten bored and tossed the Bible back on the back on the bookshelf, never to be picked up again. Even though this was true, I sent a silent prayer to God, begging Him not to let Leah die.

Sure, she wasn't the _most_ fun person to be around; to be honest, she generally _enjoyed_ making peoples' lives miserable, but that didn't deserve the death penalty for crying out loud!

I'd only ever seen Seth cry once, and that was at his dad's funeral, nine years ago. Seth prided himself on being a 'real' man, never crying in front of others. But he was openly sobbing now, and I pitied him. Seth was an amazing kid. Even Edward had once said that Seth's thoughts were the most innocent, pure thoughts ever to grace the Earth. I realized the kid had it bad off. He'd imprinted on Edward, which was bad enough in it's self, his dad was dead, and his sister was possibly dying. I knew the feeling of a dead parent, and the feeling of having no control who you imprinted on. But if Rachel or Rebecca were to die, I didn't know what I'd do. Becca and I didn't get along, but I didn't want her to die.

"Seth, come here for a minute," I said gently.

He shuffled forward, wiping his eyes in embarrassment.

"Go to your sister, and tell her this message from me. Say 'Leah Clearwater, you are going to live. If I have to pull through this, then so do you. And if you even _think_ about dying, I'll…well…you're gonna have to see me cry like a little boy.'"

"Kay," Seth mumbled, walking out.

"Jake, you're just so sweet," Bella said.

"I try," I teased. "Hey! I think my ribs are done healing!" I sat up to test myself. "Yeah, they are!"

"Great, let's throw you a freaking parade," Rosalie growled, stomping into the room.

"What's your problem?" I asked.

"Makenna's down there babbling about you, hoping you're okay, swearing she can help you, blah blah blah."

I tried to hold the smirk off my face, but I couldn't. "Sorry your daughter likes me more than she likes you," I laughed.

Rosalie clenched her fists. "Don't think that because Aro didn't knock your teeth down your throat that I won't," she growled.

"Come here, blonde, do it. I'll give you one free punch. I won't fight back," I said calmly.

Rosalie hissed. "What are you thinking?" she asked in a low voice.

"I want to know if you really have the heart to hit me. You're always threatening, but you never do."

Rosalie growled.

"Come on. I'm _begging_ you," I said.

She hesitated, then snarled and spit venom on the floor. "I hope you step in it," she mumbled harshly, walking out.

I smirked. "Broken legs, remember?" I called after her.

I could've sworn I heard her mutter, "Go to hell."


	24. Chapter 24: Imprint

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns this beautiful world I am writing about.**

_A/N: I didn't realize how short of a chapter this was, guys, and I know I said just last night that I hated to upload two chapters in one night, but I really also hate uploading crappy short chapters so I'm gonna say what the hell and do it anyway. ^_^ Just know that THIS IS THE FIRST OF THE TWO UPLOADS. Whatever you do, don't read the next one first! lol. And yes. I am aware that imprints happen at first sight. But this is a fanfiction. So I'm gonna get crazy with it. I know I stated that with Seth's, but I figured I'd say it again in case people forgot and I came across looking like an idiot that knows nothing of _Twilight. _Once again, nothing's going to be made of this imprint either! I DO NOT SHIP THESE TWO AT ALL, A FRIEND DARED ME TO DO IT BACK WHEN I WAS WRITING IT! And I don't turn down a good dare. Anyway, enjoy, then go check out the second upload!_

**CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR: IMPRINT**

Nessie giggled. "Don't tease Rose," she said.

I laughed, flopping back down. It wasn't that I purposely singled out Rosalie—oh, who was I kidding? That was _exactly_ it.

Seth came back in, fresh tear tracks down his face, and said, "Leah wants me to tell you to get a vampire to carry you downstairs so that she can talk to you," he choked out.

"I'll do it," Bella volunteered.

"No, um, I think it would be less humiliating to have someone closer to _my_ size do it," I said quickly.

"Oh, so you _don't_ want me?" Edward asked. "I mean, I can go get the giant that lives up the road, but I think he's a little preoccupied with the whole Jack and the Beanstalk thing."

"Just get over here," I said, shaking my head. I loved that Edward was starting to sound more like the age he looked and all, but sometimes he was just downright annoying.

Edward came over and picked me up as gently as he could, but it still made me wince. He maneuvered me down the stairs.

When Carlisle saw us, he got wide eyes. "Jacob, you shouldn't be moving…" he started.

"Its okay, Doc, I asked him to," a heap of blankets said from the corner.

But then my eyes adjusted. It wasn't a heap of blankets; it was Leah _under_ a heap of blankets. I realized that it was probably because she was too broken to dress.

Edward carried me over, setting me on a couch across from Leah.

"I'll…give you two some privacy," he muttered, walking out of the room.

It took me a second to process the fact that, under those blankets, Leah was naked. When I did, my gaze kept wandering from her face…

"Stop checking me out or I'll tell Renesmee," Leah said simply. But then she grinned, and I grinned back. She knew that I wasn't really checking her out. Nessie was the only girl I checked out. The only girl I was literally_ capable_ of checking out. With an imprint, everyone else seemed dim in comparison.

She wiped at the tears on her cheeks, wincing with every movement she made. "Jake…if I die, well, there's something I want to tell you first. I think that it's only fair if you know. It…happened a couple of days ago, and…no one knows."

"What?" I asked gently. _Dear Lord, if she decided she was gay…_

Leah took a deep breath. "Come here," she said.

Curiously, I bent my face towards hers. Closer…closer…she kissed me.

At first I was too startled to pull away. But when I _did_ try, well, Leah had a lot of strength in that one arm, and it was currently locked around my neck in a death grip. So I was helpless. And Leah was most assuredly not gay.

I succumbed, definitely not kissing her back, but not willing to break my neck or her arm trying to get her off. When she finally decided to pull away, her eyes were filled with tears.

"What the hell was that?!" I gasped, trying to catch my breath.

"Nothing…I'm sorry…" Leah sobbed, turning her face away in shame.

I made my face gentler, realizing that I'd hurt her feelings. "Seriously, Leah, what _was_ that?" I asked tenderly.

"Jacob…I…I imprinted on you." She closed her eyes, expecting me to blow up on her. Instead, I took her hand.

"Great. I couldn't be more honored."

Leah's eyes fluttered open. "Really?"

"Really. And you're _not_ going to die."

Leah sighed and pushed the blanket out of the way a little bit, then took my hand and placed it over her heart. "Feel, Jake. It's too slow."

"Leah! Eight years ago, Bella was torn apart from the inside. Even her _spine_ was broken. But because she had the will to live, for Edward, Nessie and I, she _did_."

"Vampire venom did that. That's not an option for me," Leah said sourly.

"Leah, there's only so much that vampire venom can do! Bella was so bad off, that if she didn't truly _want_ to live, she wouldn't have. She was in so much pain that the easier option _would've_ been to let go and die. But she knew that if she did, it would _kill_ Edward and me. So she held on. You've got to hold on too, Leah. Think of who it would hurt if _you_ died. Seth, Sue, me, Billy, Sam, and it's not like the Cullens want you to die, either. Live, Leah. Never let go. _Promise_ me you won't let go."

Leah snickered weakly.

"How is this funny?" I asked in disbelief.

"It's not…it's just that you sound like you're quoting Jack, from _Titanic_," Leah murmured.

I smiled. "Don't let go, Rose," I chuckled.

Leah grinned through her tears. "Okay, Jack. I won't."

"There you go. I like that attitude."

"I'll try to live, Jacob. For you. Not for anyone else," Leah said quietly, smiling through her tears.

Ah, hell.


	25. Chapter 25: Powers and Fist Fights

**Disclaimer: Not Mine. Well, it's mine, but it's not mine. If that makes any sense. I'll just shut up now.**

_A/N: THIS IS THE SECOND OF TWO UPLOADS I HAVE MADE TONIGHT! IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE FIRST, TURN BACK NOW! Okay, now that we've got THAT cleared up...(: Enjoy a slightly (just slightly lol, I need to be a screenwriter for a soap opera or something) less dramatic chapter. Well, the drama is less crazy intense than it has been. I CAN write less dramatic things, and have notebooks full of them, but what's the fun in that? I promise I'm not a sadist, I just like to make my characters suffer! (Or in this case, Stephanie's characters.) And I just realized that that truly does sound indeed sadistic. So I'm just gonna leave you with a smile and a Hope You Enjoy! 3_

**CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE: POWERS AND FIST FIGHTS**

Makenna climbed up on the couch beside me, putting both of her little palms on top of my head.

"Makenna, sweetie, what…" I started, and then stopped in astonishment. My legs…they were healing! A process that would usually twenty four to thirty hours was happening right before my eyes. "Oh!" I yelped in shock.

"What, Jake?" Leah asked fearfully.

Makenna pulled back, grinning at me. "I _told_ you that I could help you," she said.

I wiggled my toes in wonder. Then, making Leah gasp, I stood up. "Do it to her," I sad, pointing to Leah.

Leah warily eyed Makenna as she placed her hands on her head. "Oh my God," Leah whispered. She started flexing her fingers.

Makenna jumped out of the way, smiling proudly, and scrambled into a corner.

I took Leah's hands and tried to pull her to feet. She quickly shook her head, burrowing deeper into the blanket. "No, Jake."

"Why?" I asked in bewilderment.

She grinned crookedly. "I'm…not wearing any clothes."

"Oh. Right," I muttered, utterly grossed out.

Leah laughed. "I'm healed!"

Immediately, all the vampires and Seth were standing there. Nessie looked extremely pissed, and I guessed that she'd caught the whole imprinting kiss thing.

Everyone's jaw dropped when they saw me standing, and dropped even more when Makenna spoke up and said, "I did it."

Carlisle darted up to me and jabbed me in the ribs, not bothering to be gentle. He ran to Leah and yanked her to her feet, and she just barely had time to catch the blanket and hold it against her body. He bent down and caught her right ankle, making her totter on one foot. I could tell that Leah wasn't too fond of being touched by a vampire, but she didn't say anything. Carlisle let her ankle drop. "Amazing!" he breathed.

He ran over and scooped Makenna up, then disappeared into the kitchen. "I _am_ sorry, Jacob," he said when he returned, holding up a sharp carving knife. With one arm he held Makenna, with the other he raked a long jagged cut down my arm, stretching nearly from my shoulder blade to my elbow.

"Damn! What was that for?!" I asked, grabbing at the wound in shocked pain.

"Heal him, little one," Carlisle said to Makenna.

"Give it a minute and a half and it'll heal itself," I suggested, still rubbing my bloody arm.

Makenna climbed agilely up my body until she sat on my shoulders, and placed her hands on my head. Within seconds, the skin on my upper arm was closed up.

Carlisle grinned as Makenna hopped down from my shoulders and went to stand by Emmett.

"Whoopee, we beat the Volturi, everyone's healed, and we all live happily ever after. But you and me, chick, _we_ got a problem," Nessie said, jabbing a finger at Leah.

"What do you want, Ness-sicko?" Leah sneered.

Same old Leah.

"You need to keep your lips off my man! I don't care, imprint or no imprint, but if you kiss him again, you won't have a tail _left_ to tuck between your legs!"

Leah smirked. She looked at Nessie. She looked at me, and tied the blanket around her like a towel. Then, in one quick motion, she stepped forward and kissed me.

Immediately this time, I tried to yank away, but Leah wasn't having that. Her fingers were curled into huge clumps of my shaggy hair. I was willing to rip my hair out to get her off, but I didn't have to. Nessie did it for me. With a snarl of anger, she leapt at Leah, tackling her to the ground. Leah didn't even bother to phase, just fought Nessie as the fists flew.

By the time Carlisle and Edward managed to rip the two kicking bodies apart, Nessie had a bloody lip and Leah had an already blossoming black eye.

Seth was trying frantically to calm Leah down, who was shaking so bad that her teeth were rattling.

"I can heal you," Makenna said sweetly to Leah. Leah slapped her. Hard.

Makenna's eyes welled up with tears, and immediately Rosalie was in Leah's face, cussing her with words that even _I_ wasn't sure of the meaning to.

Emmett was standing with his arms folded across his chest in silent anger. I noticed that he'd put pants on, for which I was glad.

Carlisle handed Leah a set of clothing. "I will allow you to dress, Leah, then I want you to leave our home," he said in a low voice.

"I don't _want_ your damn clothes!" Leah snarled, ripping into a wolf and racing out, the shredded remains of her blanket fluttering to the floor.

Rosalie scooped a crying Makenna into her arms. "Its okay, sweetheart, its okay," she crooned.

For some reason, I wasn't angry with Leah. I knew what she'd done was wrong, but I couldn't bring myself to hate her for it. Leah…well, Leah was Leah, and she had a short fuse. You had to get used to it and tread lightly with her. One wrong move and you'd had it. And I knew that some of her anger was embarrassment; she'd finally found someone that she really and truly loved, and that person didn't love her back. I'd known the feeling. It sucked.

Billy cleared his throat, trying to make the awkwardness go away. "It's late, I suggest you get your children to bed," he said. As if on cue, Makenna yawned.

"Thank you, Seth, for being here," Carlisle murmured. "I believe you saved our lives tonight by sneaking around to the back where the physical shield didn't stretch."

"Yep. No problem. All in a day's work for me," Seth teased halfheartedly. Then he hesitated. "I'll…I'll talk to her for you."

"We'd appreciate that."

Seth nodded glumly, padding out.

Nessie turned to me, and I couldn't help but blurt, "Did you have to hit her?"

"What?" Nessie asked blankly.

"Did you have to hit Leah? I mean, it's not her fault that she imprinted on me."

Nessie's jaw dropped. "Well…if that's how you feel about it…hmphh!" She pulled Seth into her arms and marched out.

"Nessie…" I started, but Alice put her hand on my arm. "Give her time to cool off," she said softly.

I sighed, but nodded. "What did I _say_?" I asked the remaining Cullens.

Rosalie snorted in disgust and took Emmett and Makenna's hands, and the three of them went upstairs.

Esme looked at Carlisle and frowned, then gestured for them to leave the room.

Alice's eyes widened in pity, and she and Jasper walked out.

"Um…I'll go," Billy said uncomfortably, disappearing.

Edward and Bella were the only ones left in the room. "Jake…you just took Leah's side…after she _kissed_ you," Bella winced.

My mouth popped open. "I-I didn't mean to…" I stuttered.

Bella pressed her fingers against my lips. "I know, calm down. You just need to go talk to her."

I groaned. _Girls are just so damn touchy_, I thought.

"You have no idea," Edward smiled. "You learn to work with it, or you sleep on the couch."

Bella stretched up on her toes to kiss my cheek. "Goodnight, Jake. Make things right with Nessie," she said.

I walked outside, crossing the massive yard to our house. When I walked in, I saw that Nessie had already put Seth in his bed and gone to bed herself. After kissing Seth goodnight, I crawled under the covers and stroked Nessie's cheek.

She cringed away from me. "Don't touch me, Jacob Black. We'll talk tomorrow, when I'm not on the verge of punching you in the nose," she hissed.

My eyes widened as I rolled over away from her, which was a first. Every night since we'd been married, Nessie had slept wrapped in my arms. It gave us both comfort, knowing that we had someone to curl up next to. Tonight, she wasn't having it.

"I'm serious, Jacob. I don't even want your back touching me. I'll hit you, I swear I will."

To avoid injury, I scooted to the edge of the bed, closed my eyes, and went to sleep.


	26. Chapter 26: Slavery

**Disclaimer: Don't own the saga or characters, except for the original ones I've introduced myself.**

_A/N: Too mentally drained tonight to give a proper little intro to this, guys, but here's the next chapter. I hope you like it! Don't forget to favorite, follow, and review! xxx _

**CHAPTER TWENTY SIX: SLAVERY**

The next two months continued all right, though Nessie never completely forgave me for taking Leah's side. She didn't hold a grudge though, unlike Leah.

The one time that I stopped by her house to convince her that she needed to make up with Nessie, she slammed the door in my face and called Nessie some words that made me wonder if she'd been hanging out with Emmett.

So I decided to give her some time to cool off. Her pride was hurt, as were her feelings, and I figured that with time she would go back to being irritating bitter Leah and not hostile angry Leah.

With the Volturi gone, Nessie and I decided to focus on our family. We loved Seth to the best of our ability, and, if we wanted, we could decide to have another child in the future.

Until Jasper got a phone call.

"Well," he said, walking into the room with a sigh, "Peter and Charlotte called."

"That's nice," Esme said absently as she flitted around the room in short bursts, tidying up the already flawless living room.

"Yes, well….they've taken up a new custom."

"What's that, dear? Have they become vegetarians?" Esme murmured, straightening a flower that looked to be at a ninety degree angle already.

"Um…no."

"That's a shame," Esme said. "Jasper, does this look straight to you?" Obviously, she could care less about his issue.

"Uh…yeah, sure. But…Esme…they…they have a slave shape shifter."

Esme froze in the process of folding a blanket. "They do, do they?" she asked, her eyes narrowed in a rare display of anger.

"Yes…well…I told them that we have two."

"Jasper!" Carlisle hissed.

"I'm sorry, Carlisle! But…that's not the worst. I told them that we had a male _and_ a female."

"_Jasper_!" Esme exclaimed, echoing her husband.

"I'm so sorry," Jasper moaned. "But that's _still_ not the worst. They insisted to come over, to meet them. They think that we're lying about the female."

"You're lying about the male, too!" I yelled indignantly.

"The only girl is…" Nessie started.

"Leah," Jasper finished grimly. "I need you two to help me trick them!"

"She never will," I said simply.

"You have to ask her!" Jasper begged.

"She won't! You know how Leah is!"

"Please try."

I sighed. "Don't expect results," I groaned.

"_Hell_ no!"

I was at the Clearwaters' house, and Seth was peering curiously at us from the living room. I loved the kid, but he was as nosy as hell.

"Leah, please," I groaned.

"No!" Leah said firmly. "Why would I work for them? I don't even like them! I will _not _work for those leeches, _especially_ to be their slave."

"It's only for a few hours! You helped them when we fought the Volturi, both times!"

"I have a soft spot for kids, alright? Renesmee was a kid when that first fight happened, and your son is a kid now."

I could've brought up her slapping Makenna, but it was best to not open old wounds. "Come _on_, Leah."

"No, Jacob."

I took a deep breath and did what I absolutely _hated_ to do.

"Leah Clearwater, you _will_ help the Cullens out today. You _will_ pretend to be their slave, and you _will_ be cooperative. Now come on."

Leah's knees trembled as she struggled to keep herself standing, gripping the doorframe tightly. Only the very strongest shape shifters could resist a direct command from an Alpha, and even then, it was painful. Eventually, because she could fight it but not prevent it, she fell to her knees at my feet. Leah glared up at me through her lashes, but didn't say anything mean. She couldn't.

"Come on," I said more gently, offering her my hand.

She refused to take it, but got to her feet and got in my car, slamming the door.

"I really _am_ sorry about that, Leah. It's just that…we really need you right now," I said softly.

"Just leave it, Jacob. It's fine. Alpha's orders, remember?" Leah snapped.

"Don't hate me, Leah."

"I could never hate you, Almighty Alpha!"

I huffed. You could make her behave, but you couldn't take her sarcastic comments. Well, technically you _could_, but my attempts to make her like me again were going south as it was. I definitely wasn't traversing that path. I liked living way too much.

Three hours and a bunch of makeup later, Leah and I were transformed. We had dark black circles under our eyes, which had a crazed look in them. Our faces were smudged with dirt, and Leah's short hair was knotted and tangled beyond easy repair.

Alice taught us to keep our eyes cast down at all times, and a permanent scowl on our face. Not to speak unless spoken to, and to finish all of our responses with 'ma'am' or 'sir'. "Now get down there and show everyone what a good slave you make," Alice instructed.

We walked downstairs hesitantly, not sure how the Cullens would react. Everyone's jaw dropped as they saw Alice's handiwork, and then smiled approvingly.

"It's amazing, Alice! Leah looks even filthier then she usually does!" Nessie smirked.

Leah snarled. "Shut it, Ness-sicko."

"That the best you got, pup? Gotta admit, you couldn't win best in show if you tried."

"I really hate you, leech."

"Aw, look! She speaks! Good doggy!"

"Jacob, I'm going to hurt her, and I don't want to hear a word from you. Any of you," Leah growled, staring around at the Cullens.

"Leah, don't," I said sharply.

"Oh no, Jacob, let her try! She's gotta go all naked and furry to do any damage. She's too big of a coward to try anything on two legs."

"Ness," I said in a reproving tone. "She agreed to help us."

"Did not. You made me," Leah said.

"Shut up, Leah.

"Make me."

"Don't tempt me."

Carlisle turned to Billy. "Billy, please take Seth and Makenna to Jacob's house and don't leave until we say it's safe," he instructed.

"Give Makenna a blood baggie if she's thirsty, don't answer the door for anyone, keep Seth from turning on the T.V. on," I added.

"I'm not four, guys," Billy said, rolling his eyes and picking Seth up. "Come on, Mickey."

After they had safely left, Carlisle turned to me. "This will be intense acting, Jake. You must remember. Nessie is no longer your mate. We are no longer your family."

"I know, Doc."

"Leah, the same thing goes for you."

"Aye Aye, Doctor Fang," Leah replied, giving him a lazy salute.

A car pulled into the driveway, tires skidding.

"Heads down, stay in character," Carlisle hissed.

Nessie put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm sorry about the way I'm going to act," she said.

I shrugged. "Do what ya got to do."

I took a deep breath as three pairs of feet clomped up the stairs.


	27. Chapter 27: Joseph

**Disclaimer: Twilight isn't my property.**

_A/N: Here's the next chapter! Hope I can be forgiven for all the pain I cause Jacob in this fic...believe it or not I always was Team Jacob, I just think his suffering calls more for a variety of reactions than someone like Edward's would! Hope you like it, and don't forget to follow, favorite, review, etc and suggest the fic to friends! ^_^ You guys are the best for sticking around this long, I love you all. :) Enjoy! xx_

**CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN: JOSEPH**

The doorbell rang, and Leah and I dropped our gazes to the floor. It was showtime. I only hoped we could pull this off and they would leave quickly.

Jasper walked over, opening the door. "Good afternoon, Peter, Charlotte," he said brightly.

"Hello Jasper, how lovely to see you!" Charlotte exclaimed. "It has been too long. Eight years? You look well. We told you on the phone of our new custom, yes? Well this is our slave, Joseph."

"You let you slave look people in the eyes?" Jasper scolded. My eyes widened at his tone. He sounded gruff and mean, not at all like himself.

"_No_!" There was a thud, and a soft yelp of pain.

"These are ours," Jasper said lazily, as if it didn't mean anything that he'd just been responsible for getting an innocent person hit.

Charlotte marched up to me. "I've met you," she said. "What's your name again?"

"J-Jacob, ma'am," I said quietly.

Charlotte's eyes widened. "Renesmee, didn't this beast imprint on you?" she asked in wonder.

Nessie sneered. "Yes, but I matured quickly. I'm no longer attached to this mongrel in anyway, whatsoever. _I'm_ the one who insisted we enslave him."

_Ouch_.

Charlotte grinned. "I always knew that you'd turn out to be a smart girl," she said, giving Nessie an approving look.

Nessie smiled sweetly.

"Who are you, bitch?" Charlotte asked Leah, shoving her shoulder to force her attention.

I held my breath, hoping that Leah wouldn't smart off. That was absolutely the last thing we needed right now.

"Leah, ma'am," she mumbled, sounding utterly broken.

I let out my breath in relief. I could've kissed her, right then. Metaphorically, of course.

"Hmphh. Ugly name if you ask me."

Leah stayed silent. Out of the corner of my eye, I looked at her. I saw the muscles in her jaw working as she gritted her teeth. I was proud of her, honestly. I hadn't known she was capable of keeping her mouth shut.

I glanced up at their slave, Joseph. Immediately, bile rose in my throat. He had to be fourteen, fifteen tops. His hands were crammed in the pockets of his dirty cut offs, and his shirt was ripped in several places.

"Jacob's looking at us," Peter said in a bored tone.

_Damn snitch…_

Carlisle walked slowly up to me, pity burning in his eyes. He swallowed hard, then raised his hand and backhanded across the face in one motion. The blow was so hard that stinging tears threatened to invade my eyes. "_Never_ look others in the eye," he snarled.

I bit my lip. "I'm sorry, sir," I said softly.

"You should be," Carlisle growled as Charlotte laughed loudly. I knew it was all acting, but Carlisle had never told me that he would _hit_ me! I could've at least prepared myself for it…

"He's not usually this defiant," Carlisle assured Peter.

"Hmm, I see. Well, not everyone's slave can have perfect behavior."

"Yes," Jasper agreed. "As _yours _was looking _us_ in the eye as well, if I recall correctly."

Peter dropped the subject, feeling told off. Good. He'd gotten me vamp slapped. He cocked his head to the side. "Jasper, I do believe we need to hunt. Would you care to join us?"

"I may have taken up new customs, but I'm still a vegetarian, Peter," Jasper said, smiling crookedly.

"Oh, yes," Peter said, obviously disappointed. "Well, maybe one day."

"I doubt it," Jasper argued gently. "I'm happy with my eating habits."

"Would you do us the favor of hunting outside of Forks? We have a reputation to keep here," Esme said turning to the two red eyed thin framed vampires.

"Of course. You will take care of our Joseph, will you not?" Charlotte asked.

"Yes, I will. I'll make sure that he does not step one _foot_ out of line," Carlisle said firmly.

"Thank you," Peter said. He turned to Jasper. "We shall be back in one hour," he said. He and Charlotte flitted out, pulling the door shut behind them.

"Joseph, son, raise your eyes and look at me," Carlisle said gently.

Joseph raised his head, flinching. He probably figured that it was a trick.

"I'm going to explain this quickly, so listen. This family does not keep slaves. We are all acting right now. Leah and Jacob are part of our family, not our slaves. I'm going to ask Peter and Charlotte if I can buy you, as _our_ 'slave.' That way you can be free."

"Oh, thank you, sir!" Joseph cried.

"Son, unless we are around your masters, you do not have to call me 'sir'. My name is Carlisle."

"That's against the rules, sir."

"Joseph, do you want to have a chance at a normal life? Just go with it," Leah snapped.

"Yes, ma'am," Joseph said, making me want to facepalm.

"Don't call me ma'am! I'm Leah; do I need to spell it? L-E-A-H."

"Leah," Joseph repeated quietly, almost in reverence. Then he looked up. "If you are a family, then why did…Carlisle slap Jacob? Then he lowered his eyes. "You don't _have _to tell me," he added quietly. "I was just curious, is all."

Carlisle grimaced. "I _am_ sorry, about that, Jacob. I warned you that this would be intense acting. I can't promise you that it will be the last time I lay a hand on you today, but I'll try to avoid it."

I rubbed my cheek absently, though it didn't hurt anymore. "Its okay, Doc. Do what you gotta do," I said.

Nessie ran to me. "Oh, Jake, you are _so_ sweet," she said, throwing her arms around me.

Joseph shook his head in silent amazement. "All my life as a shape shifter, I have been taught to fear vampires. But all of you are so nice!"

I smiled. "You wanna know how it works in La Push and Forks, kid? You're taught to _hate_ vampires, and even to kill them. But then you make the mistake of falling in love with a puny little human girl who loves vampires. The girl ends up a vampire herself and brings the shape shifters and the vampires together, and eventually, you'll get sucked under and love the vampires too. _With_ the exception of a bitchy blonde vampire who you know you'll_ never_ love."

Joseph's eyes widened in wonder, and everyone burst out laughing—except for Rosalie.

Twenty minutes later, Edward froze. "They're coming back," he said.

Immediately, Leah and I dropped our eyes to the floor.

"They were children," Edward muttered in disgust.

"What?" Emmett asked blankly.

"They hunted two ten year old girls riding their bikes in an alley," Edward said quietly. His voice shook in suppressed anger.

My chest tightened, and I squeezed my eyes shut.

"Carlisle," Edward said in a strained voice. "They are going to offer you a trade. They've been observing, and they've come to the decision that they'd be willing to give you Joseph in exchange for two things. They want you to drink human blood, and whip one of the slaves ten times."

Carlisle sighed. "If it frees Joseph…"

"Offer to whip me twenty times and leave out the blood drinking," I said quickly.

"Jacob, I can't ask you to do that. That's far beyond a slap on the face," Carlisle argued, pain in his voice.

"I don't care! He's a fellow wolf! Just do it, and…" I was silenced. The door swung open and Peter and Charlotte entered.

"That really was a marvelous hunt. Seattle has some amazing variety," Peter said with a grin.

Jasper put a genuine looking smile on his face. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself," he said.

Charlotte looked at Carlisle. "You know, Carlisle," she said, grabbing a fistful of Joseph's hair and dragging him down to her height, "we don't really need Joseph anymore."

"I'd be willing to take him off your hands," Carlisle offered.

"Oh, no, we don't _give_ anything away."

"How much?" Carlisle questioned, playing along.

"We don't want your _money_, Carlisle. We want entertainment. Listen. You can have Joseph. _If_, you whip one of your slaves ten times and…" she pretended to think. "And hunt a human. Do we have a deal?"

Carlisle was quiet for a long time, then, with the smallest trace of pain in his voice, he said, "I'll whip one twenty times if you cut out the hunt."

"Hmm…okay, deal," Peter said. "Which one will you whip?"

"Jacob," Carlisle replied, nodding toward me.

"Let's take this outside, then. Carlisle, do you happen to own a bull whip?"

"No, I'm sorry, I don't," Carlisle said. Who the hell in their right mind _did_ own a bull whip?!

"No problem! We happen to have one in the car," Charlotte said. She flitted out, and within ten seconds was back, weighing a heavy and might I add _scary _looking whip in her hands. She handed it to Carlisle.

"Bella, dear, can you be around blood yet?" Peter asked.

Bella rolled her eyes. "Yes, as long as it's not major, I can. But it's not like seeing this mutt's blood spilled will bother me. It tastes horrible."

"You've tasted his blood?" Charlotte asked in wonder. "I don't believe you."

Bella coolly walked up to me and grabbed my hand, turning it palm up, and showed Charlotte the bite scar on my wrist.

"Believe me now?" she asked.

Charlotte stayed quiet, glaring sourly.

"Then let's take this outside. You wouldn't want this mongrel's blood staining your perfect white carpets," Peter said.

Carlisle gave me a hard shove towards the door, and I made a show of stumbling forward. It wasn't that hard to pretend, to be honest. It wasn't a _gentle_ shove.

Carlisle grabbed my wrist, nails digging in, and dragged me outside. "Face the crowd," he snarled. He ripped my shirt off over my head, bowing me backwards as he did. "Kneel," he commanded. I fell to my knees in terror, shaking. Maybe this wasn't turning out to be such a good idea…

"Twenty times," Carlisle clarified.

I swallowed, closing my eyes.

When the first sting came, I gritted my teeth, feeling something warm seep down my back.

"My rule is if he doesn't cry out, it's not hard enough. Isn't that right, Joseph?" Peter said smugly.

Carlisle brought the whip down harder, and I let out a moan, feeling the blood trickle from my wound.

"Come _on_, Carlisle, do I need to do it?" Charlotte asked in an annoyed tone.

"I'm just warming up," Carlisle assured her. Then a third lash. Then a fourth. My breath rushed out in a groan. My back felt like it was on fire. A fifth. A sixth. I made it all the way to eleven without really voicing my pain, but when the twelfth stroke of the whip hit my back, the sting was so bad that I moaned out in agony. Thirteen. Fourteen. Fifteen. Each time, I softly cried out in pain. Sixteen. Seventeen. Eighteen. I was trying hard not to cry. Nineteen. I felt stinging tears in my eyes and the deep wounds in my back starting to heal…

Twenty. I collapsed onto my stomach, gasping for breath. I was shaking so hard that I feared I would phase any moment. Looking up into the Cullens' and Nessie's eyes, I saw deep aching pain, masked by cruel sneers. But I'd survived. And I'd done it for Joseph. I was a pretty good guy.

Carlisle yanked me to my feet by a clump of my hair, but it was lying on a feather pillow compared to what he'd been doing seconds earlier. "Peter, Charlotte, I fulfilled my end of the bargain. Now I'd appreciate it if you fulfilled yours."

Peter groaned. "Fine, take him. But if you breed either him or the other male with the female, I want one of the pups."

_ Breed. The pups_. He said it like we were animals.

"Of course," Carlisle said almost a little _too_ sweetly.

Charlotte sighed. "We'll leave now, Jasper," she laughed. "It was nice visiting you. Even if we lost our only slave in the process."

My wounds were mostly healed, but blood still ran down my back. I shuddered. Looking out if the corner of my eye, I saw Joseph. He still had his head bowed, but you could almost _see_ the happiness radiating off of him. He knew that in a matter of seconds, he would be free forever.

Charlotte marched up to Joseph. "Look up, slave," she commanded. Joseph did without any hesitation, which I could see pissed Charlotte off. "You are free from Master Peter and I, understand? You now belong to Carlisle Cullen, and you just witnessed how he treats his slaves. Don't forget your place."

"Yes, Ma'am," Joseph said.

Charlotte and Peter went to hug Jasper. When I was sure they weren't looking, I flashed a weak smile at the Cullens. Nessie's cruel façade immediately evaporated, and her eyes brimmed in tears. Leah peeked up at me and gave me a sympathetic look.

"What is wrong, Miss Renesmee?" Peter asked, seeing Nessie's tear soaked face.

"I…just…don't…want another…stupid _mongrel_!" Nessie sobbed.

Peter laughed. "I like you, Renesmee," he said.

A few hugs later, Peter and Charlotte finally got into their car and left. As soon as Edward gave the clear, there was deafening cheering and Nessie threw herself into my arms.

Carlisle was stuttering frantic apologies, and Emmett was studying the fading scars on my back in interest.

Good old Emmett.


	28. Chapter 28: Story Time

**Disclaimer: I don't own the characters or their back stories. Credit, as always, to the lovely Stephanie Meyer.**

_A/N: This is a pretty mild enjoyable chapter, for those who hate the constant drama. For those who don't, well, I promise to go back to it soon enough! XD Thanks to my crappy recalling of what information goes in what chapter, I accidently personal messaged one of my readers some pretty significant information from this chapter. Oops. Well, dear, if you saw it before you read this, you'll know what's coming! XD I hope everyone enjoys the chapter, and to those who haven't read _The Twilight Saga: The Official Illustrated Guide, _you really should! The versions I wrote of these characters' backstories are extremely condensed, and the full versions are super interesting! :) Read on! xxx_

**CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT: STORY TIME**

"Billy, Seth, Makenna, get out here!" Alice squealed. About a minute and a half later Seth and Makenna entered the yard first, Billy close behind them. Makenna was jabbering intensely with Seth as they came. "Seth, you are _not_ Wolverine, he's a super hero!" she cried.

"I am too! Can _you_ turn into a wolf? I think _not_!" Seth shot back.

Billy noticed Joseph. "Who's this?" he asked in interest.

I grinned and threw my arm around Joseph. "The newest member of my pack!"

Billy looked confused. "I'll explain later," Bella chuckled, seeing his expression.

"Daddy, tell Makenna I'm Wolverine!" Seth whined.

I laughed. "You can be whoever you wanna be," I said.

Seth stuck his tongue out at Makenna. "See? Daddy says I'm Wolverine."

"Uncle Jacob is only saying that so you won't whine. That's a fact," Makenna replied smugly.

"Seth, Makenna, let's go get a bath," Rosalie said, smiling and holding out her hand.

"Fine by me, Rose. You can give me a bath any time," Seth Clearwater said, walking out of the trees and winking. He shook sweat damp hair out of his eyes, grinning at her.

"I wasn't talking about _you_, Seth. Oh, Nessie, why on earth did you name your son after that mutt?"

"_That mutt_ is standing right here," Seth said, looking hurt. Then he noticed Joseph. "Who's the kid?"

"Seth, why are you here?" Leah demanded before I could answer him.

"Two reasons. The first is that I wanna see from Ness's point of view why the hell Jake is covered in blood. The second…well, I'm just gonna think it to Edward."

After a second, Edward winced unpleasantly.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing!" Seth said quickly.

"I'll just find out next time you're a wolf," I said impatiently.

"Ugh, right. Fine. Imprinting has done some weird stuff to me. I…well…last night, I had dreams about Edward."

"Interesting ones," Edward muttered under his breath, grimacing.

"Um…about what?" I prompted.

Seth blushed scarlet. "There are ladies present, Jake."

I blinked. "_Oh_!"

"Yeah," Seth moaned, burying his face in his hands.

"Well…good luck with that," I said awkwardly. This was definitely a conversation I was _not_ having with Seth. I loved the kid, but he could work through _that_ by himself.

Seth shuddered dramatically, and then glanced back at Joseph. "You never did tell me who the midget is. I mean, he's obviously a shape shifter, and he can't be over five eleven. What is he, twelve?"

"Fifteen, sir. My name is Joseph Clearwater."

Everyone's mouths popped open.

"Joseph _Clearwater_?" Seth demanded.

"Yes, sir," Joseph mumbled.

Seth blinked, and so did Leah. "My name is Seth Clearwater, and this is my sister, Leah Clearwater."

"Was your father's name Daniel Clearwater?" Leah demanded.

"Yes," Joseph said slowly. "But he's dead."

"I know, I know. Fourteen and a half years back, Daniel Clearwater died suddenly, leaving his wife Alicia pregnant with a baby boy. I should know. He was my uncle."

"So…we're cousins?" Joseph asked uncertainly.

"Guess so, bro!" Seth crowed, slinging his arm around Joseph's shoulders. "'Kay. First things first. I know I look fifteen, but I'm really twenty three. Kinda like Jake over here looks sixteen but he's really twenty four. With all these vamps around here, there's no time to quit phasing. Not that these guys give us any trouble. They're cool. It's the other bloodsuckers you gotta worry about."

Joseph grinned. "I've never really had a family before. Master Peter and Master Charlotte stole me when I was two then kept me around because they knew I had the potential to become a shape shifter."

"We're _all_ your family now," Nessie said firmly.

"That would be fine," Edward said suddenly, eyes locked with Joseph.

"Um…what?" Alice asked in confusion.

"Joseph would like to know each of our stories, but is too afraid to ask. None of us care, Joseph."

"Oh. Um, okay. How…how did you know..?" Joseph asked, trailing off. "I mean, I noticed earlier that you knew things you couldn't possibly know. Are you…I mean, do you have psychic abilities?"

Alice snorted. "He _wishes_. No, he's just a mind reader. It can be a pain sometimes, but what can you do?"

Edward chuckled good-naturedly, smiling at Joseph. "Well, that answers your question. I apologize; I'm so used to being around people who are used to it that I forget it can be a surprise. We'll go inside to tell you our stories. But first, we need to get Jacob cleaned up, and Leah, you're free to go now. Thank you so much for helping us today."

"I'm not leaving," Leah said quietly.

"Oh right, I forgot," I said slapping my forehead. "Leah Clearwater, I now free you of your binds and release you to go back h-."

"That's not what I meant. I _want_ to stay."

My jaw dropped in surprise, but I had no chance to react.

"Then it's settled," Alice said in a no nonsense sort of way. "I'll get Leah some new clothes, and Jake can go home and take a shower then meet us back at the main house."

"See ya there," I said. "Ness, you wanna come with me, or would you like to go on up?"

"I'll stay with you," Nessie said. She told Seth Masen to go with Rosalie, and then walked back to our house with me. When we got back, I jumped in the shower and sighed, letting the hot water run over my skin. All the soreness disappeared, leaving behind a steamy calm. When I could bear to pull myself away from the water, I did, and pulled on a pair of shorts and a light cotton tee shirt.

When we walked into the living room of the main house, I almost laughed. Even without the skin and height difference, it would be easy to tell which of the people in the rooms were vampires and which were shape shifters. The vampires were perched gracefully on the edges of their seats, or on the arm of a chair, looking like statues. (With the exception of Emmett.) It had been so long since the vampires were around humans; they didn't try too hard to blend in anymore by slouching or fidgeting. The shape shifters, (with the exception of Joseph) on the other hand, were sprawled lazily across couches and recliners, arms behind their heads, looking for all the world as if they had been taken from a beach resort and flopped down in the middle of the living room.

Nessie and I claimed a chair, with her sitting on my lap. She snuggled into my arms, making a noise of contentment.

"Just in time," Carlisle said. "We were getting ready to start." He sat up straighter, and then began his own story.

[1]"My father was a vampire hunter. I guess you could say that he was a firm believer that they existed. There was a known vampire that lived alone on the edge of town, and my father had gotten too old to lead these expeditions himself. He sent me and a group of others after him. We went up with fires to burn him, as if we could actually win in the first place." He laughed bitterly. "The vampire killed the two others, sparing me. He bit me, and then fled. I never saw him again.

"I didn't really know what all the pain was about, but I knew that if I was discovered, the villagers, including my father, would sentence me to death. I'd been infected. I curled up in a cellar and managed to keep quiet until I was done changing. I didn't want to kill others, so I took to the woods, trying many ways to take my own life. I let myself get so thirsty, that when I saw a group of deer, my instincts took over and I hunted them. That's when I discovered a new way to live. I became a doctor, as I knew my 'special ability' would be useful in saving the lives of others."

Edward cleared his throat. "I lived in Chicago. Spanish Influenza raged out of control, taking many lives. My whole family got infected with it. It killed my father in the first wave, but my mother and I held on. We were both very close to death when my mother begged Carlisle to somehow help me. It was as if she knew there was something special about him. Anyway, she died, and Carlisle made his decision to change me. He took me to his house and bit me. I'll always be grateful that he saved me." He shrugged, but I could tell that reliving the memory was painful for him.

"I'll go next," Esme said. "I got into an abusive relationship with a very dangerous man. He would beat me, and my mother's only words to me when I stressed this to her was 'Oh, Esme, just be a good wife.' So when I found out that I was pregnant, I fled, taking my unborn son with me. Shortly after he was born, he died, and I felt like I had no one in the world.

"Completely devastated, I jumped off a cliff in an effort to end the pain. Well, I didn't die. They wheeled me straight to the morgue, thinking I was dead. Carlisle found me and remembered me from when I was sixteen and he had treated me for a broken leg. He did the only thing he could, and here I am today."

Rosalie took a deep breath. She hated telling her story. After ten long seconds, she began. "Like Esme, I got into a relationship with an abusive man. Royce King II was his name. I didn't know he was abusive, however, until one night soon before our wedding. He was drunk, and out with friends. I didn't even know the man drank." She chuckled in quiet disbelief.

"Looking back now, I realize there's a lot I didn't know about Royce. I was walking back from my friend Vera's house. When I saw him, he called me over, and I knew immediately something was wrong. He beat and raped me, then left me to die. Carlisle smelled the blood and came to my rescue. I'm eternally in his debt."

"Emmett, your turn," Esme said, moving on from Rosalie quickly. Her story had left a heavy and foreboding sense of gloom in the room.

Emmett leaned back further in his chair. Unlike the rest, telling his story didn't bother him. According to him, becoming a vampire was the best thing that had ever happened to him.

"Man, I had a huge family, 'kay, and I was the hunter of the bunch. Well, when I went out hunting one day, Mr. Grizzly decided he didn't like me too much. Probably cause I was aiming a gun at his furry head, but oh well. He attacked. There's only so much a gun can do, and this bear was out for blood. I thought for sure I was going to die, because he was all biting me and whatnot. Then I heard a new noise, and my first thought was _'Damn, here comes another one, and they're gonna fight over my body.'_

"Turns out it was just Rose, kicking the bear's ass. She grabbed me up and when I saw that beautiful face, I just knew I was dead. Surely this girl with a rocking bod was an angel! Seeing Carlisle just amped my suspicions and I was thinking that he was God come to take me through the pearly white gates. But then I saw Edward's ugly mug and thought, _'Well! Guess I'm going to Hell after all! The Devil's come to get me!'_ Because if you had seen the furious expression on that guy's face, well, you would've peed yourself. Anyway, once I'd done a pretty good job of bleeding all over the carpets, Carlisle bit me, and I get to have an angel as a wife, God as a dad, and the devil as a brother, all in one! Aren't I lucky?"

"Very," Joseph laughed, looking like he was starting to get comfortable with us.

"Besides Bella and Billy, I'm the youngest. And Joey, my boy? I still slip up sometimes," Emmett said darkly, flashing his teeth.

Joseph glanced at me warily, and Emmett burst into laughter. "Just kidding, kid. Hey Alice, I believe it's your turn."

"Fine," Alice said matter-of-factly. "I don't really remember much, except from the research I've done. I was put into an insane asylum because I could have visions. My stepmother had me put there. I lost my memory from the gas tortures they did on me. I don't know who bit me…all I know is that they did it to keep me protected from another vampire, James. He was hunting me at the time. My first real memory is opening my eyes as a vampire being completely alone. To be honest, it kind of freaked me out when some neighborhood kid walked by and I wanted to kill her.

"Anyway, I started having visions about Jasper." She pointed so Joseph would know who she was talking about, and the honey blonde vampire smiled at him. "I knew that eventually he'd separate from the sorry excuse for a coven he'd been staying with, so I waited patiently for him to come my way. Some years later, he did, and I met him in a café. I explained to him about the Cullen coven up North who could supposedly live off of animal blood. We went together."

Jasper started. "I was sixteen, youngest major in the Texas Calvary. I was tall enough to pass as twenty, so I lied about my age and registered. I was supposed to be evacuating women and children from a city that was involved in the war when I came across three women, Lucy, Maria, and Nettie. I offered them my aid. And Maria…well, she was very pretty. So when she leaned in, I thought I was going to get a kiss. I was…extremely off. She changed me.

"She kept me around and started biting other individuals. She confided in me that she was going to make a vampire newborn army, and gave me the responsibility of killing the vampires that outgrew the young stage. Your last masters, Peter and Charlotte, were part of the army. Peter helped me get rid of the newborns, and Charlotte just happened to be on the list of newborns that had to be killed. When she was called in to be killed, Peter told her to run, and she did. They ran off together and have been together ever since.

"They're really not that bad, if you can believe it. They just have some…issues with anyone they label as lower on the food chain than them. When Peter and Charlotte ran away, I did soon after. I stayed alone for a while, then went and stayed with them, but the fact that I had to drink human blood chewed at me. When I finally met Alice, I was more than ready to migrate to a place that claimed to survive on animal blood. I've been here ever since."

Everyone turned to look at Bella.

"Okay. I met Edward at school one day and it was love at first sight. Oh god, that's corny. Forget I said that. Anyway, after some drama with the bad vampires, we got married. I got pregnant with Nessie, and she beat me up pretty bad from the inside. Actually, they didn't even know if I would make it until delivery. I started drinking blood to satiate Ness's thirst until it would be safe to have her. The day I was due to deliver her, I bent over…" she shivered. "Well, the delivery didn't go to well. There's only so much duct tape can fix, Joseph. So Edward bit me."

"Okay, Billy, last one," Carlisle said.

"As much as I might like to believe otherwise, I pretty much caused my own vampirism. I got stupid, and _me_, a forty seven year old guy in a _wheelchair_, tried to stop a fight between two shape shifters. As you can see, it wasn't the smartest move. When you all get mad, you get _real_ mad. There's no self control, obviously. I don't hold anything against Jared, but my son does."

"That's everyone, Joseph," Carlisle said. "Now you know how we all got here."

Seth Masen waddled up to me in obvious discomfort. "Daddy," he hissed. "I gotta _go_!"

"Well, go upstairs and go!" I said.

"Makenna's in there! And she won't get out!"

I laughed. "Women. Always hogging the bathroom. Shove her out!"

"Um, let's not and say we did!" Rosalie said quickly, shooting me a look.

"Then puh-LEESE get her out!"

Big Seth went over and picked Seth Masen up so that they were looking eye to eye. "Seth," he began in a serious tone, "You're part dog. It's high time you learned to pee on a tree, kid."

"_Awesome_!" Seth enthused.

"Can someone _please_ get Makenna out?" Nessie asked urgently, eyeing the solemn way Seth was looking into our son's eyes.

Rosalie sighed and stood. She went upstairs, and then came down with Makenna. "Bathroom's free."

Seth pulled out of Seth Clearwater's grip and darted upstairs, making everyone laugh.

"Now, we need to confront the issue of where you'll stay, Joseph," Esme said kindly, turning to the newest Clearwater addition.

"We'd be happy to let you stay here in the main house," Carlisle added.

"Or you could stay with Seth and me. I'm sure Mom wouldn't mind," Leah said.

"I'd like to stay with my cousins, yes," Joseph nodded. "No offense to any of you great people. I owe you my life for what you did for me, I'm in eternal dept."

Carlisle waved him off at the same moment I did. "All we ask in return is that you enjoy your freedom, son," Carlisle smiled, while I nodded enthusiastically.

"I never did find out exactly why you were covered in blood, Jake," Seth said in confusion.

Nessie stood up and knelt by his feet, pressing a hand to his cheek.

"What is she doing?" Joseph asked.

"Nessie has special talents. She can show you thoughts and memories by placing a hand on your face," Edward explained. He looked on at his daughter proudly. "She really is extraordinary."

"Wicked," Joseph said with a grin. Former slave or not, he was fifteen. Things were pretty damn cool at fifteen. I was lucky enough to have Seth as an immortal reminder.

Everyone focused on Seth, who was wincing repeatedly. Eventually he pushed Ness's hand away. "I get the point," he said softly.

"Yeah," Nessie replied, meeting my eyes with love. "He's one of the greatest people I know."

"And he did all that for the midget," Seth sighed, shaking his head in mock regret.

* * *

[1] These are all the true stories of those characters, taken from the Twilight books and the Twilight Saga Official Illustrated Guide.


	29. Chapter 29: Two Less Bloodsuckers

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Saga.**

_A/N: Sorry for no upload the last few days, guys, I've been obnoxiously busy. I have a trip my Journalism class is making tomorrow and won't be home until nearly eleven, but I promise I'll try to get a new chapter up. *crosses fingers* We'll see! Anyway, here's a bit of a longer chapter to make up for it. Enjoy the drama. xxx ~TranquilGuardian_

**CHAPTER TWENTY NINE: TWO LESS BLOODSUCKERS**

Two weeks later, I was woken up by shouted arguments from the Cullen house. Nessie was wrapped in my arms, snoring softly, oblivious to any tension. I blinked, listening.

"Rosalie, please think about this…come on, Rose, don't!" It was Emmett, and he sounded like he was begging.

Nessie jerked into consciousness in my arms. "What's going on?" she asked sleepily.

"Emmett and Rosalie are fighting. Shh, go back to sleep. They'll work it out," I whispered.

"'Kay," Nessie mumbled, snuggling deeper into my embrace. Her body went limp again within seconds, proving that she'd never really been _awake_ to begin with. Emmett and Rosalie didn't fight. Nessie knew that.

"Emmett, _get_ your hands off of me," Rosalie snarled.

"Please, Rose!" Emmett cried. His voice was taking on a plea.

Quietly, I got out of bed and stepped onto the front porch. I saw the lights flicker on at Edward and Bella's cottage. Every light was on at the main house.

"Rosalie, I'm nothing without you, please!"

I saw Edward and Bella step out of their house, and I jogged up to join them.

"Why are they fighting?" I whispered.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Bella hissed back, looking anxious.

We entered the Cullen house. The living room was empty, and it sounded like everyone was upstairs. Edward, Bella, and I crept up the stairs and followed the noise to Rosalie and Emmett's bedroom.

When Emmett saw us walk in, he jumped up from where he'd been sitting on the bed. "Please, Bella, talk some sense into her!" he said.

"What is she doing?" Bella asked, watching Rosalie flit around the room shoving things into a bag while a bleary eyed Makenna sat next to Emmett on the bed.

"I'm leaving, that's what I'm doing," Rosalie growled.

"What? Why?" Bella exclaimed.

"Because your darling, laid back, never do bad Emmett doesn't give a crap about me or my precious daughter. We don't need him. I'll go find an attractive human boy and bite him. Maybe _he'll_ care about us!"

"Rose, you're just angry, you don't mean that," Alice coaxed gently.

"The hell I don't! Maybe once I bite him, I'll marry him. Then Makenna will have a good father, one that doesn't speak to us like a piece of trash!"

"Daddy's good," Makenna said softly, voice quavering.

"_Makenna_! Did you hear what he said about you?"

"It slipped out! Mommy, he didn't mean it! Don't make me leave!"

"You don't have to go anywhere, Mickey," Emmett whispered, squeezing her hand.

"Excuse me? You have no right to say what she has to do!" Rosalie yelled. "She's going with me!"

"Rosalie, come on…"

She slapped him. Hard. Then, with a bag on one arm and a crying and reaching Makenna in the other, she flitted out. Before any of us had time to move, we heard the front door slam shut.

Then Emmett was on his feet, racing after her. "Rosalie! _Rose_!" he yelled.

All was quiet.

He leapt out the window and into the darkness, screaming her name.

We all stood there numbly. Rosalie had just walked out. She'd _left_. Rosalie and Emmett had never even gotten in a fight, not that I could remember.

"What was it _about_?" I murmured.

Carlisle sighed. "Makenna came in from her room saying that she was thirsty. Rosalie told her to go down and get blood from the fridge, and she said she was too scared to go down alone. So Rose asked Emmett to go down with her. Emmett told Makenna to go back to bed and wait until morning if she didn't want to get it herself. Makenna shrieked for Emmett to go with her that instant, and Emmett's childhood instincts kicked in and he swatted her rear. Rosalie got mad, and Emmett told her to stay out of it, that he didn't see _her_ volunteering to discipline the stupid child that he never wanted in the first place."

My jaw dropped. "Damn, Emmett," I said quietly. "That was harsh."

"I tried to calm her down," Jasper said miserably. "But she was too angry."

"She had a right to be pissed," Bella said, while Edward nodded.

"Hey, give Emmett a break. Rosalie's constantly bossing him around," Jasper said quietly. "He puts up with it nonstop."

"Emmett said he didn't want his own daughter!" Esme said in shock.

"Sometimes people say things they don't mean," I said quietly, remembering the many times I'd hurt Bella by saying mean things to her, just because of my stupid hate for vampires. In the end, I'd regretted all of it.

"Yes, they do," Edward murmured, reading my thoughts. He met my eyes solemnly, nodding. He'd done it, too.

Carlisle cleared his throat. "It's not our place to judge either of them. All we can do is wait. If Emmett comes back with Rosalie, we'll find a way to work this out. If not…well, we'll get through it." His voice was hushed in the silence of the room. Emmett was no longer yelling. Alice, Bella, and Esme's faces looked small and frightened, waiting for the return of their sister and daughter. We sat for what seemed like forever, not talking.

Finally, we heard the front door creak open. Holding our breath, we heard footsteps up the stairs.

"Please," Alice whispered.

Emmett walked in, looking stressed and sad. He was alone.

Alice whimpered, clutching Bella and Esme as they all whimpered tearlessly.

Emmett met our gazes. "She's gone. She isn't coming back. I made one mistake too many. She's left, and she's taken our daughter with her," he said in a dead tone.

Alice sniffled and walked up to him, opening her arms to hug him.

He shook his head, closing his eyes. "I need to be alone," he mumbled.

"Promise me you won't do anything stupid, honey," Esme said anxiously.

"I won't burn myself, Esme," Emmett said quietly, calling her out on her masked worried statement.

Esme let out a sigh of relief. "We'll leave you alone, now," she said softly.

Quietly, every one of the remaining Cullens and Billy filed out. I was the last to leave, and I saw the helpless, lost little boy look in Emmett's butterscotch eyes as I pulled the door shut behind me.

The next morning, when Nessie, Seth, Leah, Joseph, and Seth Masen found out, there was chaos. Seth Masen cried and cried, inconsolable, because he had lost his beloved Makenna, and Nessie sobbed relentlessly because her spunkiest and strongest willed aunt hadn't even said goodbye to her.

As the days passed, we saw less and less of Emmett. He always stayed in his bedroom, sprawled face down on the bed. He rarely moved. He refused to hunt. His eyes grew more and more black every day. One day that I went up to check on him, he was staring at the ceiling emotionlessly. When he saw me, he turned his head slightly and his eyes glinted in thirst. I shut the door again immediately.

We stopped seeing Emmett all together. Every once in a while, we would hear him moaning from the burning ache in his throat, but that was it. None of us went in his room anymore. All the warm blooded creatures weren't even aloud on the third floor where he stayed. It seemed like everyone just tried to pretend that he'd left as well instead of picturing him in the kind of pain he was in. But I couldn't do that. I wasn't going to give up on Emmett. I'd been in his position; I knew how pointless life felt. But he had to pull through it. I owed it to him as a decent guy to help him. I just had to figure out _how_.

One day, I got an idea.

"Guys, we _have_ to get Emmett to hunt," I said, out of breath from running from Quil's house back to the Cullens'. Quil's family had hosted his imprint Claire's eleventh birthday party, and it took me the whole run back to become unscarred. There had been too much One Direction and pink for any sane man, and I thanked God for a son.

"He won't Jake, we've been through this!" Bella said in exasperation, glancing up from the _Vampire Diaries_ marathon she was watching. I found it ironic and amusing, but the girl was obsessed with that damn show. My theory was that it was because that Stefan guy looked remarkably like Edward.

"He's so thirsty right now, he wouldn't be able to resist if we provoked him," I hinted.

"We can't get him out of his room long enough to bleed a grizzly bear, Jacob. And we threw away all those blood bags when…Rosalie left," Carlisle said.

I flinched at what I was about to say. "Let him bite me." Before all of the enraged faces could cut in, I continued hurriedly. "Remember guys, I've been bitten once and I'm here to tell the tale, because Bella sucked the venom out before it got to my heart. It may not have been just a one shot lucky deal. I can bring Carlisle up, and once Emmett's had enough to drink, he can force him away and suck out the venom. It won't taste the best, but it will quench his thirst."

"We could try it," Carlisle said quietly. "I don't like it, but it's plausible."

"Then it's settled. Let's make me a vampire juice box."

"Please, Jacob, _don't_," Nessie moaned. "There are always risks, even with Grandpa helping you. What if he doesn't get to you in time?"

Edward was furious. "Jacob, what you're doing is _beyond_ irresponsible. You have a wife _and_ a child. What if Nessie's right? What if he _doesn't _get to you in time? Are you just going to leave them alone?"

"Guys, do you really have that little faith in Carlisle? Most of you wouldn't be here if it weren't for his quick timing and self control. I _trust_ him!" I cried.

No one could argue with that logic.

On the way up the stairs, my heart was racing, as if making itself even more of a target for the largest strongest Cullen. If it had been someone small like Alice, or hell, even Edward, it wouldn't have been quite so scary, but Emmett…Emmett was…well, Emmett was _big_. Emmett was capable of a lot of damage.

"Don't stop him unless he's endangering my life. He needs it," I whispered outside the door. I knew it was no use, he could hear me, but he was probably so lost in his own pain that he wasn't paying attention.

"Him just biting you is endangering your life," Carlisle hissed back.

"Yeah, well…call me stupid, but I'm helping_ your_ son here."

"You're stupid," Carlisle said simply, opening the door and giving me a gentle shove in.

Emmett leapt up from the bed immediately, his pupils dilating. His hand grabbed the frame, as if anchoring himself down. "Get…" He couldn't even finish his sentence before he lost that scrap of restraint, and lunged.

When Emmett's teeth pierced my neck, I slumped, but Carlisle held me up. The overwhelming tiredness picked up as he drank from me, and Carlisle eased my limp body over to the bed while Emmett stayed latched on. I could literally feel my heart rate slowing down, and spots were appearing in my eyes. I felt like I'd stayed up for a week on no more energy than coffee. I could tell that the symptoms were speeding faster than last time, because the attacker was actually still putting venom into my system. I had just gotten to the point where I would be able to tell those people on TV that claimed to have died and come back that yes indeed, there _was_ a light at the end of the tunnel, when Carlisle heaved Emmett off of me.

Emmett hissed and fought to get back to his meal for a few seconds, but all it took Carlisle saying was, "Emmett. You're losing yourself," for him to quit struggling and lie flat on the bed beside me.

Carlisle came to me, leaning his heads over my neck and pursing his lips. (Since when did he have two heads? I'd have to remember to ask him about that.) After about thirty seconds, I could concentrate well enough to see that Carlisle's second head had disappeared, and that Emmett was talking to me.

"Oh God, Jacob, I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I lost it, I didn't realize…"

"Your blood is clean," Carlisle interrupted, pulling back to smile tiredly at me.

"It's good, Emmett. This was sort of the plan," I admitted weakly.

"You _wanted_ me to do this?"

"You were hurting, man. You needed to hunt."

"What's the point? What's the point without…Jacob, what's the point in living?" Emmett's face screwed up in pain, and it took me a minute to realize he was crying, and another to realize that he wasn't faking it. Emmett…seeing him cry was unnatural. It just didn't happen. "Tell me, because if I'm missing something, please point it out! Bella left you that one time…and when she married Edward…how did you even care to live?"

"I didn't," I said quietly, and Carlisle shot me a 'not helping!' look. "Not for a long time, that is. But I got over it. I had family and friends…and then Nessie. And things just worked out after she came along."

"I'm not a wolf; I can't just go to the grocery store and fall madly in love with the chick looking at oranges across the aisle!"

"It doesn't work like that," I snapped, defensive. "My point _is_ that you have us to help you through it. I can't promise you it won't hurt for a while; believe me; I know it does, and it will. But not forever. Not if you're willing to try to move on."

"I've been with her since _1935_, man! How am I supposed to try to move on?"

"The two of you will have to continue this conversation later," Carlisle said gently. "We have some eavesdroppers that are extremely anxious to see how things went."

"Thanks, Carlisle!" Alice called sarcastically.

Emmett ran a hand through his short curly hair. "I can't guarantee that I'm going to be pleasant to be around for a long time," he warned.

I rolled my eyes. "We already have Edward. I think we can handle you,"

Emmett stood up. "There were two reasons that I got off that bed," he said gruffly, trying to grasp his old personality. "One of them was because I've decided to give life a second shot. I mean, what would you do without my sunny disposition? The other was because I think you liked me laying there with you, and I don't bat for your team. So let's go downstairs."

I stood up shakily with an eye roll, and teetered in dizziness. Emmett reached out to steady me automatically, and I couldn't help but flinching away from him. I hadn't meant to, but I could tell that it'd hurt his feelings.

He dropped his arm, ignoring my reaction and biting his lip in embarrassment.

Carlisle held the door open for us, and I slowly and carefully walked down the two flights of stairs. I heard Emmett behind me, and I quickened my pace just a tad. Having a 230 pound vampire on top of you sucking your blood really made you more wary.

As we hit the bottom of the steps, all the vampires surrounded Emmett to hug and kiss him, pointedly ignoring my life blood spattered on his clothing. Who cared, right? It was just Jacob blood. They saw enough of that anyway. Emmett was back.

"I missed you, big bro," Alice said quietly, hugging him.

Emmett wrapped his arms around her, resting his chin on top of her head. "I missed you too. All of you."

Bella mock punched his arm. "It wasn't any fun around here without your loud and annoying laugh."

Emmett smiled, just enjoying being in the company of his family. "Hey, anyone wanna go cliff diving?" he asked. "I could use some good scream your head off fun."

Everyone agreed enthusiastically, except for Carlisle and Esme. "Why don't you all go?" Esme asked. "We'll keep Seth and Mak…" she cut off abruptly, realizing what she'd said. Looking like she was ready to kill herself, she continued. "We'll keep Seth. Go on without us."

We purposely ignored the fact that she'd been about to say Makenna, although Emmett's expression tightened in pain.

"Are you sure?" I asked.

"Yes, yes. We're sure. Go have fun, kids. God knows you deserve it."

"Okay. Thanks, guys." I turned to Seth. "We're going to go out for awhile, okay? Be good for Grandma and Grandpa."

"Okay," Seth said absently, coloring a page out of his _Toy Story_ coloring book. He waved at Emmett. "I'm glad you're back. When will Rose and Makenna be back?" His question had been totally innocent, as he didn't understand the half of why they had left.

Emmett closed his eyes, and without a backward glance, said, "I'll be in the Jeep." He flitted out quickly.


	30. Chapter 30: You Feel WHO!

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight.**

_A/N: I am SO sorry that I didn't upload before now! I didn't have access to the internet, so I had no way of getting it up. :/ But its up now, and it's a good news chapter! lol, So enjoy, and thanks for the reviews! 3 xxx You guys are the best!_

**CHAPTER THIRTY: YOU FEEL ****_WHO_****?**

Nessie stared over the edge of the cliff in doubt. "It looked like less of a drop two years ago," she said quietly, turning to give me a nervous look.

I laughed. "That's cause two years ago, you were a lot closer to the ground," I said, playfully acting like I was going to push her over the edge.

She squealed in fright, shoving me back. "Hey! Not cool!" She suddenly looked very pale. "You'll go with me, right?" she asked, glancing at the waves lapping below.

"Sure, sure. Don't act like a wimp, Ness. You got this!"

Emmett let out a whoop of adrenaline, cannon balling over the edge. A split second later, there was a big splash as he hit the water. It made me smile to see that he was enjoying himself, at least for the time being. He deserved happiness; he was one of the greatest guys around, once you got to know him.

Alice took Jasper's hand, turning to smile at him, and they jumped as well.

"Oh come on, _Alice_ is doing it!" I cried gesturing pathetically.

"Alice is a lot less breakable than me!" Nessie shot back.

She looked over as Edward wrapped Bella tight against his chest and took one step out into midair. They plummeted, with Bella screaming in exhilaration all the way down.

"That leaves you and me," I hinted, stripping off my shirt. By this time, Emmett was back at the top, sopping wet, preparing to jump again.

Nessie groaned, shimmying down to her bikini. She shivered. "It's too damn cold to be doing this," she hissed.

"Don't be a baby!" Emmett screamed, nose diving off the cliff and arcing his arms over his head.

Nessie gritted her teeth. "Let's do this," she said. I pulled her warm body against mine, grinning. Lifting her into my arms, I leapt off the edge. Mine and Nessie's screams mingled on the way down, and with a tremendous splash, we hit the water. I briefly saw Edward and Bella kissing on an underwater rock beside us, his hands tangled in her hair. I hoped, for Nessie's sake, that she'd missed that. Then we were plummeting deeper, the water becoming cloudier as my feet hit bottom. We could both hold our breath for a longer than average amount of time, so we took our time coming back to the surface as we clasped hands.

Sure enough, Edward and Bella were still making out on the rock, and I smacked Edward upside the head as we passed them. He broke off in surprise, and they both grinned guiltily at us before following us back up for air.

All four of our heads surfaced at about the same time, and, gasping for air, we all saw Jasper standing on the shore below the cliff waiting for us. "Get back up top, fast! I feel Rosalie!" he called.

"You feel _who_?" Bella gasped, grabbing Edward's hand and dragging him ashore.

Nessie shouted wordlessly in joy, pulling me up after her dad and mom.

"I feel Rosalie! Her emotions are close! Makenna's too!"

"What is she feeling?" I asked, shaking my wet hair out and starting the trek back up the cliff.

"Indecision! She's not sure whether she wants to come back. She thinks she overreacted!"

We neared the top, and Emmett and Alice were there. "Jazz, make her wanna come home," Emmett begged.

Jasper's face fell considerably. "I lost her," he muttered.

Emmett let out a bellow of rage. His shirt was clinging to him, making every muscle in his body stand out. I'd always known Emmett was a big guy, but seeing him like this was…scary. I hoped he wasn't planning on throwing Jasper over the edge. He was more than capable.

"She's back!" Jasper said happily, holding up a finger.

Emmett's face brightened. "Make her wanna come home!" he almost whined. "Make her want to come back! I can make things better with her, Jasper!"

"I'm trying!" Jasper hissed, his face strained. "She's dancing on the line! It's making it hard to influence her emotions!"

Emmett was practically jumping up and down with anticipation, brow furrowed nervously.

"She's coming back," Jasper said, his face breaking into a grin. "Without me having to influence anything whatsoever. She wants to talk to Emmett!"

Emmett was in the jeep in half a second. "Get in or I'm leaving your ass behind!" he shouted at us. Alice, Nessie, and I jumped in after him, and Edward and Bella ran to Bella's Ferrari. "We'll meet you back!" Edward called through the window as they pulled out onto the road, tires screaming.

We were close behind, and I doubt Emmett's foot left the floor the whole way back. Nessie's nails never left my arm, either. I hoped Emmett knew how to stay out of the way of other cars better than he knew how to stay on his side of the road.

The minute we hit the driveway, Emmett slammed on the brakes and jumped out. We stayed on his tail, and the rest of the Cullens, including Carlisle, Esme, and Billy, were waiting in the yard. Seth was frozen, staring at a point in the trees.

"Now we wait," Carlisle said, barely daring to breathe.

"Why are we waiting?" Seth asked in confusion. "They're right there!" He pointed to the woods. Without warning, he took off into the trees, and came out dragging Rosalie's arm. She held Makenna, and was staring out at us silently as she allowed herself to be pulled.

It was now Emmett's turn to be frozen, his eyes shining as he looked out at his daughter and wife.

Rosalie sat down Makenna, who immediately embraced Seth. They both started crying.

"Emmett…" She started, looking down.

Emmett cut her off. "My angel," he whispered, voice choked.

Rosalie flew at him. At first it was hard to determine whether they were kissing or eating each other, but it was pretty obvious after about ten seconds. Right when I was about to cover Seth's eyes in embarrassment, they broke off, grinning at each other with impossibly big smiles.

"I love you," Rosalie whispered. "I'll always love you, I always have loved you. I overreacted, and I want you to forgive me because I am so extremely sorry. I want you to kiss me and tell me there's nothing that will ever separate us again, and that we can go back to being family."

Emmett kissed the tip of her nose. "Only if you forgive me for being an asshole and a jerk and whatever other four lettered word you can come up with, and know that nothing I said that night was true."

"I do! Emmett, I do."

"Then I do too." He kissed her again. "I love you."

I looked over at Esme, who was struggling not to get emotional. I felt Nessie slip her hand into mine.

"I love you too! God, I was stupid. Why would I ever want to leave your arms?"

"So you didn't find a sexy human boy to bite?" Emmett teased.

"Never. Not a one of them was as sexy as you."

"I find that comforting," Emmett grinned, kissing her forehead. He turned to Makenna, who was still clinging to Seth. He picked her up, nuzzling her cheek. "What about my Mickey? Did you miss your Daddy? Daddy missed you!"

"I missed you, Daddy. I really _really_ missed you."

"I missed you, my darling!"

Makenna giggled in delight, leaning in and kissing his cheek.

Emmett sat her down, ruffling her hair. "Come on, Rose. We need to talk." Taking her hand, he led her into the house.

Nessie looked at me. "This is great! Our family's complete again."

"Yeah," I smiled. "If you'd told me ten years ago that I would call a vampire my family, Rosalie of _all_ people, I would've thought you were crazy."

She shrugged. "If I'd been alive ten years ago, maybe that would've happened."

"Oh, right" I laughed. "If you would've told me ten years ago that I'd be married to an eight year old, I would've had you committed."

"So, what do you think Rosalie and Emmett are talking about?"

Alice walked over. "Well, if heavily kissing counts as talking, then they're having a very interesting conversation," she informed me.

Nessie made a face.

"Oh, come on, Ness. They haven't seen each other in ages. I'm surprised they're _only_ kissing."

"Yuck!" Nessie laughed.

We walked inside, and Makenna went immediately to the fridge. "Um, where's the blood?" she asked. She turned to glare at us.

"I'm sorry, sweetheart," Carlisle said. "We threw it all out after you left. I'll have to go back to the hospital and say I need to borrow some more. Even though I quit, they're still supplying me with everything I need, thank Heavens for that. Would you like to go hunting with me for now?"

"Okay." She looked disappointed.

Carlisle took her hand, and they walked outside and disappeared into the woods.

Things were back to the way they should be.


	31. Chapter 31: Breaking the Unbreakable

**Disclaimer: Credit for the settings and most characters to Stephanie Meyer.**

_A/N: (Due to an amazing person telling me I accidently re uploaded an old chapter, lets try this again!) So here's a chapter for the people who didn't even like the THOUGHT of a certain two people being connected. XD It's all better. If I recall correctly, I promised I'd fix this mess in an earlier chapter; and I try to deliver lol. I went through about half an hour ago and actually added a bunch of writing to this chapter. This doesn't seem like a big deal until I realized that I haven't edited this fic beyond grammar, word choice, and spelling in almost a year. O.o So yeah. Figured it was due. Enjoy, and go ahead and review, follow, or favorite if you get the chance or think it's worth it! XD xxxx_

**CHAPTER THIRTY ONE: BREAKING THE UNBREAKABLE**

Two days after Rosalie made her return and life resumed being a mess of Seth Masen and Makenna being inseparable, Rosalie and Emmett being disgusting, and Emmett being loud and obnoxious, Seth Clearwater stalked in with Joseph and Leah trailing him. "You gotta help me, man, you gotta help me!" he said, grabbing my shoulders.

"What? What's wrong?" I asked in surprise, leaning away from his abrasive manner on reflex.

"This damn imprint, that's what's wrong!" Seth hissed.

I didn't know whether he was talking about Leah's and mine, or his and Edward's. Leah hadn't mentioned ours once after that first fateful day, so I didn't know how that one was going. Seth, however, liked to complain about his all the time, so I assumed is was the latter. "What…" I started in confusion.

"Last night, did Edward get the crap beat outta him by Emmett?" Seth demanded, cutting me off.

I recalled the night before, when Emmett had challenged Edward to a wrestling match. Needless to say, Edward had been roughed up pretty badly.

"Yeah. Why?"

"Because I was lying in bed, trying like hell to get some sleep, and out of nowhere, it felt like I was being body slammed into a brick wall! I was flat in _bed_, Jacob! And not only that, Edward's brain sent out some automatic 'help' pheromones. I knew it was Emmett, I knew what had happened, and I felt like I needed to go save him!"

"Then where _were_ you?" Edward muttered. "I could've used some help." He placed a card from the hand he held flat on the table in front of Rosalie, nodding at her. She sighed and picked it up, biting her lip and laying down a card of her own only to have Edward shake his head at her with a smile and force her to retrieve it. I didn't know what they were playing, and honestly it looked too complicated to hold my interest for any length of time.

"I was _trying_ to go to sleep! Who has a full blown WWE match at 1 a.m.?" Seth complained.

"I do!" Emmett chimed, grinning and waving at Seth dopily.

"My point _is_," Seth sighed dramatically, "Is that I can't deal with this stupid imprint any longer!"

"Too bad. There's no way to break it, so you might as well get used to it," I said with a shrug. I wasn't trying to be insensitive; I really felt for Seth, but what he was expecting was a miracle. He might as well get his dreams crushed early on.

"There _is_ one way to break it," Edward said, glancing up from his card game with Rosalie. He seemed hesitant to elaborate on the subject, though. And Jacob was wrong once again.

"_Really_? Dude, what is it?" Seth was ecstatic, practically wiggling in exuberance.

"Death," Edward responded quietly.

You could've heard a pin drop on the floor of that house. Everyone looked up from their activities, surprised.

"Edward," Billy began, shaking his head, "What exactly are you thinking?"

"Yes! What _are_ you thinking?" Bella said, her voice two octaves higher than usual. She stopped watching Nessie French braid Makenna's hair abruptly, head snapping to face her husband.

"I wasn't thinking of killing Seth, obviously. I would deal with the imprint for all of eternity before I killed him. But think back to when Emmett and Jasper were attacked by the Volturi. They were torn apart, and _technically_, they 'died'. I was just thinking that it would be worth a try to…"

"Rip you apart and put you back together," Carlisle concluded, nodding. He was one step ahead of the game. What else was new? "Quite a plausible theory. But Edward, the pain for both of you…"

"Pain?" Seth paled. You could almost see his heart sinking.

"Well, the pain of your imprinted significant other dying would be quite severe, though it doesn't last very long. And the pain for a vampire to be ripped apart wouldn't feel too great either."

"But it would break the imprint?" Seth asked. "And both of us would be okay?"

"You'd both be okay. As long as we got Edward put right back together," Carlisle replied.

"You're insane!" Bella cried. "There's no way! I'm not letting you…Seth can get over it! We're not ripping you apart, Edward! I won't let you!"

"I will be none for the worse, love. Why don't you just stay inside while they do it? You won't have to even see it. Out of sight, out of mind."

"No!" Bella protested, standing.

Seth growled. "One way or another, Bella, we're doing this. So either suck it up and get over it, or I'll have Jacob restrain you."

"You'll do no such thing," Edward said in a quiet voice. He liked Seth, sure, but there wouldn't be any restraining Bella. Not on his watch. He turned to Bella. "I'll be okay, Bella. I can promise you."

Bella bit her lip. "You are_ really_ crazy," she sighed, shaking her head in either reluctant acceptance or straight up denial.

"So it's okay?" Seth asked quickly.

She took a deep breath and nodded. "But if anything goes wrong, if anything happens, you can be sure I will _destroy_ your ass, Seth Clearwater."

"Excuse me?" Leah asked in disbelief. "What did you just say to my brother?" She was bristling.

"Cool it, Leah," Seth snapped, waving her down. "Fine, Bells. But nothing will happen. And maybe after today I'll finally be able to get a girlfriend, and not want to be with Edward."

Edward ran a hand through his hair with a tolerant chuckle. "As fond of you as I am, Seth, I don't believe I could force myself to be in a relationship with you. Even if I _were_ homosexual. I've just…I've known you since you were fourteen. You're a child."

"Let's take this outside," Carlisle said, changing the subject before Seth ended up getting offended. He'd obviously seen Seth indignantly open his mouth to protest the 'child' remark. "Bella, you should stay inside with Nessie. It'd be better for both of you."

Nessie looked terrified at the prospect of seeing her dad get torn apart, so she nodded gratefully. Her hands were trembling as she slowly resumed braiding Makenna's thick black hair.

We walked outside and I could've sworn I saw Edward swallow hard. God, I wouldn't blame him. This wasn't something I'd be looking forward to either. But Edward, out of the goodness of that icy heart of his, was going to willingly endure it to give Seth a shot at a normal life, one where he _wasn't_ imprinted to someone who could never love him. I wished there was a similar option for Leah.

"Edward, I need you to lie down on the grass. I'm going to have Jacob, Joseph, Emmett, and Jasper help me get you off the ground," Carlisle said. He hesitated before adding, "Seth, you should probably sit down."

Edward lay down on the grass, his hands shaking a little. Carlisle grabbed one of his ankles, lifting his leg off the ground. "Jacob, grab his other leg. Joseph and Jasper, get his arms. Emmett, I want you at his head, because you can probably get it off the fastest, minimizing the pain."

Edward gritted his teeth as we all came to our positions, lifting him entirely off the ground. "I am extremely stupid," he said, glancing over at Seth. "You okay, Seth?"

"Am_ I_ okay? Trust me, _I'm_ fine. How about you?"

"Just a little frightened. I'm possibly the first vampire that didn't have a death wish allowing myself to be ripped apart." He laughed weakly.

"Are you ready, Edward?" Carlisle asked quietly, looking pained at what he was about to do.

"As ready as I'll ever be," Edward replied, voice shaking. I felt his leg muscles tensing tightly through his jeans.

"Seth?"

"I'm ready," Seth said firmly. "Edward…thank you."

"Think nothing of it. What are friends for if they can't be ripped apart for the sake of a fellow man's future?" He looked to Carlisle, nodding, before closing his eyes.

"On my call," Carlisle said grimly. "Ready…set…GO!"

With a grunt, I pulled on my limb. I couldn't force myself to think about what I was doing, so instead I focused on the design of Emmett's shirt, which was across from me. For one terrifying moment, nothing came loose, and Edward's mouth opened to scream. A horrible pitiful whimper escaped his mouth before, with a crack, everyone's limb they had a grip on pulled off, and Edward's torso hit the ground with a sickening thud.

Seth screamed in agony, and I dropped Edward's leg in surprise. Looking over, I saw Seth with his fingers pressed to his temples, a horrible grimace on his face, mouth open. It was the same expression that Edward's now disconnected head was frozen in. Seth's fingers raked down his face in misery, searching for a relief he couldn't find. "Stop, make it stop!" he cried, barely able to get coherent words to leave his mouth as he rocked on the ground and attempted to muffle the exclamations of pain into his knees, which were drawn up to his chest rigidly.

After what seemed like ages, he stopped screaming. Even after it was over, though, the sound still echoed through my mind with a horrible clarity. He'd truly been in a lot of pain…And everything Seth had felt, Edward had felt as well and been unable to voice. Seth slowly rolled onto his side, gasping for air, his legs only loosening slightly. Carlisle came to him and knelt in the grass, helplessly pulling the boy's trembling body into his arms and whispering something to him with a look on his face that said that he was miserable he couldn't do more to stop this.

Makenna ran like lightening from the house, launching at Seth's panting and groaning body. She placed her hands on his head before anyone could stop her, and Seth relaxed immediately, slumping against Carlisle in relief.

"Hey, kid, thanks," he said quietly, forcing a brave smile at her and ruffling her just braided hair.

Makenna nodded sweetly, and walked back to the house, pointedly not looking at the dismembered corpse five feet away from her.

"Gather the pieces, everyone," Carlisle said, standing and pulling a shaking legged Seth to his feet. Carlisle didn't seem to mind the grass stains on the knees of his white slacks, but was only concerned with his son's and Seth's wellbeing. "Take them up to my study. Rosalie, I need you to go inside and take Bella and Nessie into the kitchen."

Rosalie agreed, eager to get away from the eerie head that Emmett was holding under his arm like a basketball. Everyone gathered up Edward's arms and legs, and I winced as I forced my attention away from my pack brother to pick up Edward's leg. The fabric of his pants had fallen away from his ankle, and I saw the skin shimmering in the sunlight. As if it was still fully attached to its owner. It was just too weird to be holding Edward's leg, from the knee down, in my hand. I focused on his shoe as I walked back to the house. They looked expensive.

Rosalie peeked in from the kitchen as we walked by, and, thinking it was okay to look, Bella did too.

"Oh my God!" she screamed, instantly hyperventilating. I was sure that the fact that Emmett was absently stoking Edward's bronze hair didn't help matters. "His _face_! He promised! He said nothing would go wrong!"

"Nothing went wrong, Bella," I said, making an effort at hiding the leg behind my body. It was a pretty lame attempt.

"He was screaming! He was in _pain_, and you continued to pull!"

"Bella, Bella, come back into the kitchen, sweetheart. Wait until they get upstairs. I promise Edward will be okay. He'll come downstairs just fine, and you can hold him and see for yourself that he's alive," Rosalie said quickly. She pulled her back into the kitchen, away from us.

I handed the leg to Carlisle. "I'm going to stay down here and see if I can calm her down."

He nodded, and, gesturing to the others, flitted up the stairs.

Seth was in a chair, still shaking despite the fact that he felt no pain anymore. "That was so freaking scary," he said. "I…felt what he was feeling. Every bit of it. Even once he was apart, my body just…felt like it was being ripped to shreds. It was the worst pain ever. And he didn't even _scream_."

"Shh! Later, Seth. He didn't exactly have a chance too. Bella, Ness, it's safe to come out now," I called.

The three of them walked out, Bella still in hysterics. "He was in pain! He was in pain, and you kept freaking pulling! Damn you, Seth!" She launched herself at him, and I just managed to catch her around the waist.

"Bella! Calm down! He will be _fine_, I'm telling you!" I let her go cautiously, and she slid down the wall to put her head in her hands.

"So, Seth, feel any different?" I asked.

"I don't know. I mean, there's no girl in the room that I might fall for." Seth loosened his grip on the arms of the chair to look around curiously. I found it a bit irritating that the first female his gaze fell on was my _wife_, though I knew it was random. Ness was still an adorable bronze haired kid in his eyes. But she'd definitely filled out over the years, and with a lily tucked behind her ear, she resembled a little redheaded nature goddess.

Rosalie shot Seth a dirty look in response to his remark. "Gee. Thanks."

"Hang on. Emmett's magazine is here somewhere…" I dug down in the couch cushion. "Aha! Here." I flipped to a picture of a chick with long hair and big boobs on a motorcycle. It was one of Emmett's personal preferences.

Seth's eyes practically bugged out of his head. "_Woah_! Yeah, Jake, it's broken. Can I keep this magazine?"

"NO!" Emmett was down the steps in a second, standing in front of Seth. "No you may not! That is _mine_, and you may place it in my hand this second!"

Seth glumly handed Emmett the magazine, which Emmett promptly put back under the cushion.

He glanced over at Rosalie and kissed her on the lips. "Of course, _you're_ way hotter than her."

Rosalie grinned, kissing him back. "Then give him the magazine."

"I'd like to keep it, if you don't mind," Emmett said, pecking her again.

"I do mind," Rosalie said, still grinning. She pressed her lips to his one last time.

Sighing in defeat, Emmett grabbed the magazine back from under the cushion and tossed it to Seth. "Fine. Keep it. I've already scored the best one out there, so you can feel free to look at the leftovers." I was sure he was only saying that to please Rosalie. But hey, it worked. No Rosalie rage on this day. The bunny rabbit population's jugulars were safe.


	32. Chapter 32: Phone Call

**Disclaimer: Don't own Twilight.**

_A/N: Aghh! Alright, I know I have absolutely no excuse for not uploading sooner, I've just become so maddeningly lazy over my fall break! On top of that, I was trying to get caught up on some reposted Ustreams that Parlé Productions (a U.K. cosplay group that's popular on Youtube and are invited to conventions in other countries as well as their own) have posted in the past. They're hilariously funny and I've been obsessed with them for over a year now, so I figured it was finally time to watch some of the streams. So I became a dead zombie for several evenings doing THAT as well, watching a bit each night. Long story short, I was lazy, I'm making excuses for myself, and I hope you enjoy. :) xx_

**CHAPTER THIRTY TWO: PHONE CALL**

Edward walked down the stairs, holding on to the guardrail. It was one of the only times I'd ever seen it being used, and he was definitely leaning on it.

Bella looked up, and her face brightened considerably. "Edward!" she said breathlessly, standing. She hugged him gently, for which I could tell he was grateful.

"Bella," he breathed, wrapping his arms around her. I could tell he was in a lot of pain. "See? I told you that I would be fine." He stepped back, holding her shoulders. "All in one piece."

He was unaware that she'd seen his executed head, and she wasn't going to tell him.

The rest of the Cullens and Billy came downstairs, taking their places around the room wearily but looking cheerful.

"Seth, is the imprint broken?" Edward asked, twisting his wrists and rotating his neck with a slight grimace.

"Yeah," Seth said, grinning at Emmett. Emmett rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest in a pout at his lost magazine.

"Thank the Lord for that," Edward replied. "Because if it hadn't, you would've had to deal with it. Would you join me in the hall for a moment? Jacob, you as well?"

We followed him in confusion, and Edward braced himself against the wall stiffly. "I don't want either of you breathing a word of what I am going to say to Bella," he began.

"Sure, Edward, no problem," Seth said in confusion. "But won't she be able to hear…?"

Edward pulled out his cell phone and loaded up the text message screen, smiling. _I do know about technology, Seth,_ he typed rapidly, holding up the screen.

Seth looked embarrassed. "Yeah, forgot about that. What was it you needed to say? Is it about-"

Edward held a finger up to his lips and started typing.

_The pain that I felt when you ripped me apart was the worst type of pain imaginable. It felt like I really WAS dying. I'd rather not think about it, to be honest. But anything I tell Bella, you need to agree to. I don't want to frighten her._

I nodded, holding out my hand for the phone. When he handed it to me, I erased his writing and typed out a quick response.

_Agreed. Seth sed he felt it 2. Do u think it was as bad as wat u felt?_

Seth saw the screen and looked to Edward questioningly.

Edward grimaced at my improper text speech and took it out of my hand.

_I have no doubt._ He met Seth's eyes sympathetically, his own eyes burning in pain.

Seth swallowed hard, looking away. Edward put his phone away, making sure to clear the screen completely. "I'm sorry it had to be that way, Seth," he said quietly.

"Anything to get rid of that damn imprint. I'm sorry you had to-"

"No matter," Edward said quickly, cutting off the conversation as we walked back into the room. "It's done, and it didn't even hurt that badly."

Bella regarded us with suspicion in her eyes, but she didn't say anything.

"Guy  
stuff," I said nonchalantly, making a muscle. "You wouldn't be interested."

Bella rolled her eyes at me, coming to put her arms around Edward tenderly. "I'm so glad everything worked out okay," she said softly, smiling as Edward nuzzled her cheek.

In that moment, it seemed as if everything were perfect. Things had mellowed out; there was no stress for once. Nessie came and wrapped her arms around me like her mother was doing to her father, and I pulled her to my chest. Life was good.

The phone rang.

That should've been cause for suspicion immediately, because the only people that called the Cullens were other vampires, and even_ that_ didn't happen too often. Charlie never bothered to call, he just dropped in. I guessed it was a wrong number.

I was the closest, so I grabbed the phone off the hook and picked it up. "Hello?" I asked, watching Makenna attempt to teach Seth how to make flower halos for their heads. My son was losing patience and interest quickly.

"Hello? Um…is Bella Cullen there?" I didn't recognize the voice, but this person obviously knew Bella. That surprised me. We were pretty nosy around here. Usually, if one of us knew someone, we all knew that person.

"May I ask whose calling?" I said guardedly.

"Renee, her mother. Who am I talking to?" The voice became slightly defensive.

I was dumbstruck. Why in the hell would Renee be calling? She hadn't bothered to call in eight years! She didn't even know Bella had a kid, for crying out loud!

"Jacob Black, that's who," I said, sounding defensive back. I'd been a bigger part of her daughter's life than she had for years!

"Jacob! Oh, I didn't recognize your voice! You sound so adorable and manly! Aw, that's sweet. Can I please talk to Bella?" Renee's voice became nice again, as if she hadn't just pulled attitude.

"Oh. Um, sure." I went to hold the phone out to Bella in confusion.

"Who is it?" she asked, looking just as confused as I felt.

_Your mom_, I mouthed.

Bella frantically pushed the phone away. "No! My voice!"

"She's waiting!"

"Tell her I'm not here!"

"I already told her she could talk to you!"

"Well make something up!" Bella hissed.

Alice sighed in exaggeration and held her hand out for the phone. I handed it over in confusion. She cleared her throat.

"Hi, Mom," she said in a perfect imitation of Bella's long lost human voice.

My jaw dropped.

"Yeah, I'm doing fine. How are you doing?" Pause. "That's good. How's Phil doing?" Pause. "Still playing baseball, huh? That's cool. Ya know, I really miss you Mom." Pause. "You want to fly up tomorrow? Y-you already bought plane tickets?"

At this, everyone's mouths opened in a silent shout of '_No!_'

A stressed look crossed Alice's face. "Sure. Tomorrow will be just fine."

"No!" Bella cried, then immediately slapped both of her hands over her mouth.

Alice shushed her in annoyance. "Okay, Mom. I love you too. Bye." She hung up.

"Are you insane?" Edward demanded loudly.

"What was I supposed to do? Deny her the right to see her daughter? The woman's already bought plane tickets!"

"You could've made something up, some sort of plans. She can't see me looking like this!"

"Like how, more gorgeous than you_ ever_ were as a human? Fine. If you want to be difficult, I'll make you look human again."

"What about the rest of us? We all look the exact same!" Carlisle said in exasperation.

"That's the beauty of makeup," Alice replied calmly.

"What about me? And Seth, and Makenna?" Nessie said. She seemed hopeful she could stay.

"Seth and Makenna will stay with Billy at Charlie's house. You'll be Carlie, a friend that Bella and Edward met at college in Alaska. How are you feeling about blond hair, colored contacts, and glasses?"

Nessie just gaped, openmouthed. "You're acting like you had this all planned out! Did you know she would do this?"

"I had a vision," Alice admitted. "But she kept re-thinking it. Nothing was definite. I just thought I'd be prepared if she did make a final decision."

"Why couldn't you tell us?" Bella demanded.

"Like I said! She hadn't made a final decision! There was no use in worrying all of you."

"But I won't be able to talk to her either!"

"You lost your voice. Easy. Humans still do that, right?"

Bella glared at her. "Yeah," she grumbled.

"Then it's a non issue. Come on, Bella, don't you want to see your mom?"

"Of course I do! It's just…"

Alice crammed her fingers in her ears. "Then enough said!" And without leaving room for further discussion, she flitted upstairs.

I was woken up the next morning by Alice pulling the blanket off of me and Nessie, and then shaking my arm repeatedly until I stirred. "Wha..?" I groaned.

"Get up, now! I just sent Seth and Makenna with Billy to Charlie's, and Renee will be here within two hours. I need to beautify you!"

Nessie yawned, sitting up blearily. "You sent Seth off without letting me say goodbye?" she asked in disbelief.

"It's not like you'll never see him again! Give me a break!" She pulled me to my feet, and threw a set of clothing at me. "And put some damn clothes on! Gosh!"

I looked over at her. She was currently supporting Nessie's weight, as Nessie was still half asleep. "Ness! Wake up, now!" she commanded. "We don't have all day!"

"She doesn't even know me," Nessie groaned. "Why do I have to wear makeup?"

"Hon, have you looked in a mirror? You're your mom and dad made over."

Nessie yawned again, taking the selections of clothes that Alice was holding out to her and getting dressed. "Fine."

I pulled the pair of pants on over my boxers, and then promptly went to crawl back under the covers. "There. I'm ready. Go away."

"No you're not! Not even close! First of all, you need a shirt. We're used to you dressing like a savage, but Renee's not. Second, your hairs a mess, and third, you're a twenty four year old man and you look like you're sixteen!"

"Well what do you propose we do about that?" I asked gruffly. "Because unless you have a magic aging machine that you're not telling me about, I'm staying just like this. And hey!" I added indignantly. "Was that savage thing an Indian joke? Cause I don't appreciate Indian jokes."

Alice ignored me. "Just get a shirt on and follow me to the house," she sighed, taking Nessie's hand. Without another word, she walked out.


	33. Chapter 33: Renee

**Disclaimer: I don't own The Twilight Saga.**

_A/N: Hey, guys, I promise I haven't forgotten about you. But here's the thing. I haven't had internet access since the last update. It just hasn't been available. Things like that happen sometimes. I can't help it, and I in no way have control over the fact that I live with my parents and when the internet doesn't get paid, it doesn't get paid. So please be aware that I'm not abandoning you...and please don't get angry over the fact that sometimes I can't upload every day. In fact, this story is nearing it's close, so I'll be uploading the sequel when that happens, but the sequel isn't finished. So on that fic, there will definitely be times that I can't upload every day. I'm sorry that I'm not getting chapters out as often as I'd like, but its just the way it is sometimes. Thanks to all you amazing people for sticking with me. xxx ~TranquilGuardian_

**CHAPTER THIRTY THREE: RENEE**

When I walked through the front door of the main house, I did a double take in surprise. It appeared as if I had stepped through a portal into a futuristic dimension. Carlisle and Esme looked like they were in their late thirties, and they were quite disgruntled at that fact. They had wrinkles around their eyes that I was sure had never been there before, and they were sitting, arms crossed, on the couch next to each other.

The Cullen siblings looked older as well, and Emmett even had a scruffy beard that he was scratching in annoyance. "_So_ not loving this," he grumbled, expression twisting in distaste.

Bella walked in from the kitchen, eyes cast down in apparent embarrassment. She looked up at me, and I caught my breath. She was human Bella again, except a little older, and her cheeks were even slightly pink. The contacts were the perfect shade of brown; the sharp angles of her vampire face softened by Alice's amazing makeup ability.

"Stop staring," she laughed. "You still need _your_ makeup done." She jabbed me in the ribs teasingly.

Alice came downstairs with Nessie…or a girl whom I _thought_ was Nessie, anyway. This woman had long straight blonde hair, shining blue eyes, and a pair of purple framed glasses.

"Damn, Alice, what did you do to my wife?" I whispered. I was unable to look away from the absolute _change_ that had taken place.

"That bad?" Nessie winced, shuffling her feet in humiliation.

"It's not bad," I assured her quickly. "It just doesn't look like you, is all."

"That's the point," Alice said with an air of exasperation, and I looked at her for the first time. She'd made herself look older, and even added some extra spike to her already spiky hair.

My eyes were wide from what this lady could do with a makeup brush and some fast fingers. She needed to make a profession out of this.

"Stop staring and come on," Alice said. "It's your turn." She grinned, though, and I knew she was secretly pleased that I was admiring her abilities.

I let her drag me upstairs in a daze; as I was buffed, polished, powdered, and had a goatee pasted on my face, I was thinking about Nessie. I decided I _didn't_ like that new look, and that she'd have to lose it as soon as possible after Renee left.

"You're done," Alice said, spinning my chair around to face the mirror.

I blinked. "I look old," I muttered.

"You look twenty four, Jacob. Which, I might add, is your _real age_."

"I look old," I repeated, disgusted. "What the hell is on my upper lip?"

"A mustache, that's what. You look pretty hot with a goatee, Jake. Embrace it."

"It's gross," I protested.

"Get over it. You saw Emmett the lumberjack," Alice said. "Be glad I didn't do that to you." Her face went blank for a minute. "Really?" she finally moaned.

"_What_?" I asked sharply.

"Renee's plan landed ahead of schedule. She's on her way." She grabbed my wrist and pulled me down the steps from her room, and I tripped over my own feet at her unexpected burst of speed.

Everyone looked up when I got downstairs. "Jake," Bella said, stifling laughter. "You look…nice."

I shot her a glare. "Sure, sure. I don't want to hear it."

"Guys, change of plans. Renee will be here in about twenty minutes. I need you to all pitch in and get any picture of Ness, Seth, or Makenna off the wall. Like, right _now_," Alice said, slight urgency in her voice.

Immediately, everyone jumped up to help, stowing pictures of the three youngest people behind others.

Emmett was still scratching at his beard when the doorbell rang.

Carlisle took a deep breath and opened it, smiling out at Renee. "Hello, Renee. You look well."

Renee leaned in and kissed his cheek. "You too, Carlisle, you too!" She walked in and saw Bella, squealing. "_Bella_!" Enveloping her in a hug, Renee grinned. "I've missed you so much!" She was wearing a jacket, so she didn't notice how cold her daughter was.

Bella smiled at her, nodding. She looked happy to see her mother after all these years, but sad that she wouldn't be able to speak to her at the same time.

Renee removed her jacket, looking for a place to hang it before Carlisle smiled and took it, carrying it into the other room.

"What's wrong, sweetie? Didn't you miss me too?" Renee sounded slightly hurt, and she placed a tentative hand on Bella's bare arm. I saw her jump a bit at the temperature of her skin, but she brushed it off.

"She lost her voice," Rosalie said, gesturing to Bella. "Believe me, she's missed you too."

"Oh, you poor thing!" Renee simpered. "And Edward! How great to see you!" She hugged him hard, and he laughed as he turned his face towards the ceiling to avoid suffocation by his mother in law's hair. "No kids, huh? Well, take your time, take your time."

I could see Nessie blinking hard in the corner. Her grandmother was standing not five feet away, and didn't even know she existed.

"Jacob, do you have a girlfriend?" Renee asked abruptly, spinning to face me as if she'd just noticed I was there.

"Oh, no, I'm still crushing pretty hard on Bella," I laughed, tightlipped as I glanced at my wife.

"Oh, there's this gorgeous girl in Jacksonville, you'd love her. Anyway, who's this?" She pointed to Nessie.

Nessie's eyes were sparkling with tears, but I saw her smile at Renee.

"This is Carlie, a friend Bella and I met in Alaska," Edward said. "She needed a place to stay, so we volunteered."

"That's sweet of you, Edward," Renee smiled. She saw Nessie's wet eyes, though, and her smile faded. "Carlie, honey, what's wrong?"

Nessie forced a laugh. "Nothing. My eyes water a lot. Allergies, you know." I could see the hurt in her face.

"I have the _exact_ same problem!" Renee gasped, delighted. "My eyes…" she launched into her own story, barely needing an excuse to start talking.

She paused to breathe after about five minutes, and I saw Nessie drinking it all in. Sure, it was a boring story about how cat hair set off Renee's allergens, but Nessie was desperate to learn anything at all about the grandmother she'd never met.

Renee finally turned back to Edward. "But seriously, no kids? It's been what, eight years?" Then she hesitated. "Oh, Bella…can you have kids? I never thought of that…I mean I had a rough time getting you…"

Edward put his arm around Bella. "It's not her, Renee, it's me. The doctor said that even if I managed to give her a child, it would be deformed and probably wouldn't live past birth. So we're playing it safe."

"Oh Charlie would love to hear that…playing it safe…ha ha, _man_…you know, there's always adoption," Renee said brightly.

"We've considered it," Edward said, while Bella nodded.

"That's good. Plenty of little foreign girls out there that need adopting."

"Yup," Emmett laughed, and Rosalie snickered. "There's lots of those foreign babies. You know, I heard they make much better children than all those kids right here in this country that need adopting."

Renee blushed. "You know what I mean. American kids are okay too."

Emmett guffawed, and Renee blushed deeper.

"Renee, why don't we drop the subject," Alice said, looking genuinely sorry for her. "I'm sure you and Bella would like to catch up. I took the liberty of finding a type to talk app for Bella, so she can write down everything she needs to say to you."

She tossed Bella her phone, and Bella snatched it out of midair without really glancing at it.

Renee looked surprised. "Wow, Bella! Your reflexes really have improved." She nodded in approval.

Bella held up a finger and typed out a response on the phone. She hit the talk button, and a monotone male voice answered, "Lucky catch. I'm still really clumsy."

Carlisle stifled a laugh, turning it into a quiet cough.

Bella furiously typed something out. "Stop it Carr-lissle."

That just made him laugh harder, and Esme joined in.

"Not funny Ez-mee."

By this time, Emmett was rolling in laughter, and even Edward was cracking a smile. She was too pathetic right now to not laugh at.

Bella typed one last thing out and sat the phone down in embarrassment. "I give up," the dull voice said.

Alice winced and walked out of the room, coming back with a white board and a marker. "Better?"

Bella scribbled something down and turned the board around. _Definitely_.

Renee stayed late into the night, and it made me happy to see Bella smiling and having fun with her mom. She eventually let the excuse of her lost voice slip just a bit and did her best to sound hoarse so that she could talk. Nessie (excuse me…CARLIE) and Renee became close as well, and Nessie hugged her for a ridiculously long time when it was time for her to leave. They both exchanged phone numbers, and Nessie tried not to cry as she hugged her newly found grandmother goodbye. Bella became emotional as well and promised to email her more often, and then she was gone. Off to stay in a hotel for the night before catching a flight back the next afternoon, once she'd said hello to Charlie of course.

After Renee left, the rest of the Cullens decided that it was mine and Nessie's turn to go on a second honeymoon. We'd only been once, when we were married, so Esme ever so kindly rented her island to us for a second time.

"I want it left the way you found it," she said in a firm but indulging voice. "No messes. Edward and Bella are bad about that. They always leave destruction behind, and it frustrates me."

Emmett held out his hand for a high five from Edward. "Congrats, bro! You've achieved destruction! You two have come along so far…" He smiled devilishly.

Bella rolled her eyes at him, and then turned to us. "But seriously guys. Please don't leave a mess. The cleaning crew isn't there to pick up after you like you're six. Throw your trash away, make the beds before you leave, empty out the fridge of all the bad food."

"Mom! They're called the cleaning crew for a reason!" Nessie said.

I squeezed her hand. "Its fine, babe. We can clean up. Right?"

"I guess," Nessie mumbled. She knew if she argued, that she wouldn't be allowed to go. Yes, her mom still held that much reign over her. That was Bella. And Bella's word was final. Always had been.


	34. Chapter 34: Paradise

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight and I don't speak Spanish.**

_A/N: So here's the next chapter, guys! I hope you enjoy, it; don't forget to follow, favorite, or review me or the story! (Okay, don't review me...that would be strange...lol) Anyway, enjoy! Yay for crappy rudimentary Spanish skills! :D Don't judge if it's wrong...I included what I tried to convey at the bottom. :) xxxx_

**CHAPTER THIRTY FOUR: PARADISE**

The next morning, Nessie and I were on a plane to South America. First class, of course. Edward wouldn't have his baby girl riding in any less.

A pretty Mexican girl across the aisle caught my eye, and then started jabbering to her friend in Spanish. The other girl turned to look, then grinned. She giggled, blushing.

I slunk down in my seat, staring out the window. I was embarrassed. With Nessie sitting right here, the girls were shamelessly flirting.

The first girl leaned across the aisle and waved at me. "Usted está muy caliente. Por favor, dime que no es tu novia. Podría enseñarte un tiempo mucho mejor.[1]"

The girl's friend blushed, smacking her arm and giving me an apologetic look.

"Um…English," I said hesitantly. I had no idea how to speak Spanish, let alone understand it. I hadn't opted for a foreign language in high school. I'd taken Japanese my freshman year, but by my sophomore and junior years I didn't have the time to study for electives like that after becoming a shape shifter. My senior year, I was doing good just to pass my core classes. So I was pretty much clueless in any other language besides my own and a bit of Quileute.

The girl looked disappointed. She turned her head on me. I heard her say to her friend, "Inglés.[2]"

The other girl puckered her lip out in a pout and looked sad, turning away from me. She'd given up.

"I wish Daddy had taught me Spanish," Nessie growled.

"Why? So could understand what they were saying to me?" I asked.

"No, so I could give them a good cussing out for hitting on you!" Then she paused. "But I think this gesture is pretty international." She flipped the ladies off, and they bristled in anger and indignation.

"Ness," I laughed. "I'm yours. I will _always_ be yours. You have nothing to worry about."

"I know," Nessie said confidently. "I'm better looking anyway." She gave me a teasing grin to let me know she wasn't really being arrogant, and I rolled my eyes.

All I could do was laugh. It wasn't likely that I was going to dump my imprinted wife for anyone else, but that went to show that Ness really _was_ female.

* * *

When we arrived at Isle Esme, I sat our suitcases down right inside the door. I pulled Nessie's body tight against mine in a hug. "I love you," I said quietly, nuzzling into her neck.

"I love you more," she whispered, shivering and resting her head against my chest.

"We're the only ones here," I whispered back, smiling. "There's no reason to be quiet."

Nessie laughed, pulling back. "I was trying to be alluring. Didn't work, I assume?"

I pulled her down onto the couch with me, flipping on the TV. "Trust me. It worked. I got goose bumps," I teased.

Nessie tilted her face up toward mine, and I leaned down to kiss her passionately. "So it did work," she finally said, breathless and giggling.

"What'd I tell you?" I whispered (by this time I was just being sarcastic) against her lips. I gently caught her lower lip between my teeth, and she shivered as she pulled back to curl up against my side.

I pulled her closer to me, and she put her hands on my chest. "It's so peaceful here," she murmured. "I could just live here all the time."

"What do you mean it's peaceful? Do you mean it as in you can be alone with me here without your dad going ballistic, or as in there's no annoying city noise?"

Nessie crawled up into my lap, kissing me again. "Both. But mostly the first one."

With the temperature blazing through the walls, and her hot breath in my face, we fell asleep on the small couch that first night. We never made it out of the living room.

* * *

We woke up together on the couch the next morning, sweating from the intense heat searing in from outside. We were both hot, but neither wanted to move to turn on an air conditioner.

"What time is it?" Nessie murmured, her head resting on my chest.

I checked my phone, which had fallen onto the floor. "Nine," I croaked sleepily.

"Mmm. We don't have to get up yet," she muttered, turning her cheek back against my chest. "I'm still jet lagged from the plane ride over."

Her hair was soaked with perspiration, and I felt my shirt sticking to my back. "Can I at least turn on some air?" I responded gently.

She nodded tiredly, turning away from me and burying her face in the arm of the couch.

I stood, stretching my sore muscles. We would definitely be sleeping in a bed tonight. My body just wasn't what it used to be. (I found myself inwardly laughing at the thought; my body was _exactly_ what it used to be, physically appearing at least.) I hit the on button on the air conditioner, and a blast of chilly air came through the vent into the living room.

I came back onto the couch with Ness, who resumed using me as a pillow. She kissed me sleepily, her eyelashes brushing my cheek. "So what should we do today?" she yawned, raising her face to look at me.

"Swim with dolphins?" I suggested.

She shook her head. "Too tiring. Maybe tomorrow." Her laziness cracked me up.

I kissed her full on the lips, wrapping my fingers in her damp hair. "What about this?" I whispered.

"I like this," Nessie agreed. But then she shifted. "But I should probably go hunting first. I'm a little thirsty."

"I thought you and your mom went hunting a few days ago?" I said in confusion, like it was a question.

Nessie shook her head. "Mom did. I went into town to get food for you and Seth."

I groaned. "Ness, if I had known that, I wouldn't have been so close to you, _tempting_ you, all night. I don't like seeing you uncomfortable."

"Its fine," Nessie assured me. "More like a sore throat than a real burn. I just want to be completely full."

"Okay. Let's get dressed, and I'll go with you," I agreed firmly.

"No. You need to stay here," she replied, just as firmly.

"Why?" I demanded, hurt.

"Because all they have here is dolphins, and I'd rather you not see me viciously suck the life out a sweet little marine animal," she smirked.

I rolled my eyes, kissing her goodbye. "Come back soon."

"Mmm hmm." She jumped up, flitting out the door while still in her wrinkled blue jeans and tee shirt from the day before.

After lying there for a few more minutes, I set about unpacking suitcases to surprise Nessie for when she got back. I made the beds with our sheets, and, not knowing what to do with the ones that had already been on them, I tossed them into the closet with a shrug. Whichever pair of Cullens that came here next would find them.

After I had finished unpacking, I decided to take a shower. I felt grimy from my still sweat drenched tee shirt clinging to my body. I grabbed a few towels from the pile I'd unpacked, and headed to the bathroom. When I stepped into the hot water, I moaned. Back home, with Nessie to steal all the hot water, a warm shower was a rarity.

I realized that I'd forgotten soap and shampoo. I glanced around frantically, and just when I thought I was going to have to walk back to the bedroom soaking wet and naked, I saw a bar of soap and a bottle of unopened shampoo on the edge of the tub.

In relief, I scrubbed my hair with some cinnamon crap that either Edward or Carlisle had left behind. After eight years, I still hadn't realized that vampires even _took_ showers, so it was news to me.

After a few minutes, Nessie poked her head in the door. "Knock knock," she said.

"You were quick," I said, wincing as soap filled my eyes.

Nessie put the toilet lid down and sat on it. "I found a chimpanzee," she shrugged.

"Yummy," I teased.

"You know it." She crinkled her nose suddenly. "…Did you use_ Daddy's_ shampoo?"

I tossed her the bottle of cinnamon smelling gunk over the top of the shower curtain. "This?"

"Ew. Yep. Hang on." She ran out of the bathroom and came back with our almond butter shampoo from home. "Here," she said, handing it over the top. She had to stretch on her tiptoes, and I laughed.

"I can't kiss you or even cuddle you with you smelling like Daddy," she said distastefully.

"All I smell when I'm around your dad is sickeningly sweet pain," I chuckled.

"Can you smell pain?" she asked.

"_My_ nose sure can."

Nessie laughed. "I'll be in the living room. See you in a few?"

"Yeah," I responded, soaping up with the bar of fancy looking soap. A few minutes later I stepped out of the shower, tying a towel around my waist and drying my hair. I walked back into the bedroom and changed, then came to where Nessie was sitting on the couch. "Why don't you pick out a movie for us?" I asked.

"Because they have nothing good here, that's why. It's all old junk like _Mary Poppins_ and _The Secret Garden_."

"I could do some _Mary Poppins_," I grinned.

"And I could do some _Grown Ups_."

"Your family wouldn't watch movies like that," I laughed. Then I paused. "Except for Emmett. I could probably see him watching _Grown Ups_."

Nessie shrugged, grabbing _Mary Poppins_ off the shelf and putting it on. We didn't really watch it, but it was nice to have some background noise while we talked.

Nessie covered us up with a blanket and snuggled up to me, but after a few minutes, I had to kick my side of the blanket off. Shape shifters and blankets would just never mix.

"Hot?" Nessie asked.

"A little bit," I admitted.

"You're so full of yourself," she teased.

"Ha ha," I said sarcastically, pulling her chin to my face to kiss her. "Hey, Nessie?"

"Yeah?" she replied.

"This has been bugging me for awhile, I have to ask you. Why did you stay with me? When you were old enough to understand what an imprint was, you automatically assumed 'Okay, Jacob's my soul mate. I can never have a normal boyfriend of my choice. Jake's the only boy for me.' Why? You could've refused to ever date me, and…I don't know, dated some other guy. But you chose me."

Ness shrugged. "You're right. You ARE the only boy for me. I never even considered dating someone else. Ever. The imprint thingy wasn't one way, you know. Unlike _mortals_-" She grinned at me "—I can remember what it was like in my mom's womb."

"Dark and cramped?" I guessed, laughing.

She laughed. "You're half right. But even then, I knew something was up. I could hear all of your voices. I knew you apart from the others. And even though you were constantly talking _trash_ about me, I knew there was something about you, something different. I wanted to be near you, unconsciously. You know, you were the second person besides Daddy to touch me. He picked me up, and then I brushed against your arm on the way to my mom. I felt an electric shock."

"You remember that? That's so cool!" I exclaimed. Then I grimaced. "And I _am_ sorry, you know, about the talking trash. But you were part Edward. I just…_despised_ him at the time. And not only that, you weren't exactly gentle on your mom."

"Actually, I tried to be. But I was so strong that it seemed like every little movement, every time I'd roll, or stretch, it harmed her. Jake, you have no idea about the guilt I've lived with; knowing I almost killed my own mother."

"It wasn't your fault," I said quickly, feeling bad.

Nessie shrugged like it didn't matter, but I knew she always felt bad about that.

I nuzzled her cheek with my nose, placing my hands on her hips. My fingers teased the hem of her tee shirt, and she shoved me playfully. "You're a typical boy."

"It doesn't seem to bother you," I said, kissing her forehead, her nose, her neck. I began kissing on her neck insistently, and I felt goose bumps crop up on her skin as she sighed.

Just when it was getting good…Her phone rang.

"Oh, for the love of all that is holy, we're on a_ honeymoon_!" she growled, then answered it. "Hello? Oh, hi, Mom! What's wrong, are you okay? You-you want to talk to Jacob? O-okay, Mom." She handed the phone to me. "She's like…_hysterical_," she said anxiously.

"Hello?" I asked in worried confusion, meeting Nessie's eyes.

"Jacob! Oh, Jacob, it's horrible!" Bella took a deep breath. "Are you sitting down?" she asked, her voice choked.

"Yeah, why? What's wrong, Bells?" My own voice was quickly rising in fear, and I thought of our son. Seth _had_ to be okay, he _had_ to be….

"It's…it's Billy, Jake. He's-" She broke down into sobs on the other line, and I heard Edward's comforting voice soothing her in the background. I heard him ask if she'd rather _he_ spoke to me, but she declined miserably.

"What, Bella?! What's wrong with my dad?" I demanded shrilly.

There was a long silence, and then Bella took a shaky breath. "He's dead, Jacob."

* * *

[1] Spanish Translation for 'You are very hot. Please tell me she's not your girlfriend. I could show you a much better time.'

[2] Spanish Translation for 'English.'


	35. Chapter 35: Bad Dream

**Disclaimer: Stephanie Meyer owns the Twilight Saga.**

_A/N: Sorry for the delay, guys! Here's the next chapter! Don't forget to review, follow, and favorite if you feel I deserve it! Those kinds of things make me a very happy person! lol Enjoy, love you all. xxx_

**CHAPTER THIRTY FIVE: BAD DREAM**

My stomach plunged to my bare feet. "That's not a funny joke, Bella!" I said loudly. Billy couldn't be dead, he was a vampire…vampires didn't just _die_…

Bella broke down again. "I wish I was joking!" she cried.

I jumped to my feet, not sure what to do. My head was spinning, and I felt hot tears flood down my cheeks. "You're lying!" I refused to believe it. I refused to acknowledge that my only living parent might not be around anymore. Billy was invincible.

"I'm not, Jacob! He was rip—He was killed! I found him in the woods this morning!" She was becoming hysterical again, and hard to understand through her sobbing.

I felt the cell phone slip through my fingers. The ground came rushing up towards my face, and darkness enveloped me.

Nessie screamed.

"Jacob? Jacob, can you hear me?" a voice asked. Someone was patting my cheek, trying to get me to come to.

I groaned, opening my eyes and putting a hand on my pounding temple. I saw Nessie standing over me, holding the dropped phone in her hand, a horrified expression on her face.

"He's awake," she said in relief, some of the stress melting when I met her eyes. "Okay. Jacob, Mom wants you to lay down somewhere and rest. Daddy's on his way right now to come get us. He'll be here in a few hours. Can you get up, Jake?"

I tried to stand, but my legs felt like jello. I made it into a kneeling position, but the minute I put weight on my feet I just felt like I was going to get sick. I closed my eyes, shaking my head. Horrible dreams…there was no way my dad was dead, right?

"Mom, he won't get up," Nessie said in a strained tone. She listened for a moment, then looked at me firmly. "If I help, do you think you can make it to the couch?" She asked.

I didn't get a chance to decide. She grabbed me by my wrists and pulled me to my feet, grunting. I felt like a newborn fawn, the way my legs were shaking underneath me, but I managed to support most of my weight so as not to hurt her, then took shuffled steps forward to the couch miserably. It was a good thing this girl was half vampire. I flopped onto the cushion numbly, moaning. Horrible dreams…Jasper had taught me well enough to deal with physical pain. Emotional pain was what he should've helped me with.

Panting, Nessie picked up the phone again. "He's on the couch. Now what?" Silence. "Okay." Running out of the room, Nessie came back with a damp washrag. She set it on my forehead. "Hey, Jake? Mom wants to talk to you. Do you feel up to it?"

I nodded, feeling in a daze as I reached for the phone and pressed it to my ear. "Hello?" I whispered.

"Jake? Oh, I'm so glad you're okay. I heard a thud, and…oh, never mind. Edward just left for the airport. He's on his way to come get you guys…he knew you wouldn't feel up to driving a car. He—"

I cut her off. "Is Billy really dead?" I asked quietly.

The silence was enough for me.

"I'm so sorry, Jacob," Bella said quietly. I could hear that she was dangerously close to crying again.

"Do Rachel and Rebecca know?" I asked, surprising myself with how calm I was behaving.

"Um, Rachel does, because Seth told Paul and Paul told her, and Carlisle's trying to get a hold of Rebecca right now. It was difficult, because when Rachel told him the number, her husband picked up the phone and refused to let Carlisle talk to her because he thought Carlisle was a stalker…well, Carlisle's still arguing with him. Hopefully, we'll get to talk to her in a few minutes."

"Is Rachel with you guys?" I murmured, glancing up at my crying wife and squeezing her hand comfortingly.

"Yeah, and she's crying really hard. Leah, Paul, and Alice are trying to comfort her."

"Can I talk to her?"

"Um, yeah, sure," she replied gently. "Hold on."

There was silence, and then a new choked voice sounded on the phone. "Hello?"

It's Jake, Rache," I said quietly.

Abruptly, Rachel was sobbing. "First Mom, now Dad, too? _Jake_! We're orphans!"

I swallowed. Often, it felt like I was the older sibling. "Dad's with Mom now, remember? They'll be happy this way."

"Then why does it hurt so much?" Rachel whimpered.

Fresh tears poured down my face. "I-I don't know," I said quietly.

"We're all so tore up about this, Jake. We called Bella's father, Charlie. He's pretty messed up too. And all the Cullens are crying, no joke. I think I even saw that Rosalie getting emotional in a corner. Edward, Carlisle, Jasper, Emmett. All the guys. Dad was a big influence on them all."

I closed my eyes. "Has Carlisle gotten a hold of Rebecca yet?" I asked softly.

Rachel sniffed. "Yes. He just did. He's hanging up now. She's coming down for his fu-fu-funeralll!"

I sucked in a ragged breath. "We should be home by late tonight. I gotta go. Can you put Bella back on?" I knew that if I didn't get off now, I wouldn't be able to hold back the tears.

"Okay. Love you, Jake," she mumbled.

"Love you too, Rachel."

There was a few seconds of silence, and then Bella was back on. "We'll help you through this, Jacob," she said softly.

It's just like Rachel said. I'm an orphan," I replied dully.

"Oh, Jake, we're your family too, you know that! You'll never be an orphan."

"Can I have Rebecca's number?" I asked dully.

"Jake, do you really think it's a good idea to talk to her?" Bella whispered.

"She's my big sister, Bella," I said emotionlessly.

Bella gave me no more trouble after that, and she told me Rebecca's number. As soon as I hung up with her, I felt the tears break free. I couldn't hold them back any longer. It was an unreal thing to me that my father wouldn't be there when I got home to hug me, and it was like nothing I'd ever felt. I propped myself up on the couch and pulled Nessie down next to me from where she'd been standing by in tears. "Hey, hey, why are _you_ crying?" I whispered softly.

"Because you're _hurting_! Jacob, I can't stand to see you in pain! I love you so much, and it hurts me more than you know to watch you cry when I know you're trying to be brave and-"

I pressed my lips urgently against hers. "Nessie, seeing you cry is only making things worse for me," I whispered. "I need you to stop so that I can stop too. We have to be brave together, okay?"

"Okay," Nessie said softly, reaching up to wipe my cheek as I wiped hers. I kissed her again.  
"That's my brave girl. Thank you, Ness. Thank you. That will make this so much easier on me."

I called Rebecca, and a man picked up the phone. I assumed it was her husband, though I'd never actually met him. "Hello?"

"Is Rebecca…Finau there?" I asked. I actually had to think hard to remember her married last name. I'd known she'd married some Hawaiian surfer, but I'd never exactly shown up with a housewarming present.

"Maybe. Who is this?"

"Her brother Jacob," I said in a monotone. I had nothing left in me to pick a fight with my sister's husband.

"Hold on."

He put Rebecca on. "Hello?"

"Hey, Becca, it's Jake," I said.

"Oh, Jacob, Darling, I haven't spoken to you in_ ages_! I take it you just heard about the unfortunate mishap with Daddy," she replied.

"Yeah, I have," I said, my eyes stinging. I had to be brave for Nessie. I'd promised.

"Oh, Jacob, you sound horribly upset!"

"Aren't you?" I asked, taken aback.

"Well, it's not like it wasn't to be expected, what with him hanging out with-" She lowered her voice "—All those _vampires_. We must pick up and move on."

"Rebecca, he was our _father_! How can we just pick up and move on?" I yelled in disbelief.

"There's no need to raise your voice, little brother," Rebecca said. There had never ever been a time in my childhood when I had gotten along with Becca. Ever. We were always fighting as kids, and I could see it wasn't going to end now.

"You could at least _act_ like you care!" I said heatedly.

"Am_ I_ yelling at _you_?" Rebecca asked quietly.

"You might as well be! I'd rather be yelled at than have to sit and listen to you act like nothing's wrong!"

"First of all, _you_ called _me_. Secondly, I never said nothing was wrong. I can just be an adult about this."

"Uh huh, yeah. Well we're _all_ adults now, Becca. I'm married with a kid! When a parent dies, you shouldn't have to act like an adult! You should be able to get pissed, and sad, and not act like absolutely nothing went wrong!"

"Jacob, I refuse to sit and be screamed at," Rebecca said.

"Well, good. You don't have to any longer. I'm done," I said, hanging up. I slumped back. "Rebecca is such a…a…_diva_!" I spat.

Nessie smiled sadly. "I think that's her way of dealing with things. She tries blowing it off."

I moaned. "He's actually dead," I managed to choke out. But I refused to let any more tears escape.

Nessie kissed my forehead, and then stood. "I'm going to start packing. You can rest if you want," she said. She walked off into the big bedroom to pack things.

I lay on the couch, staring at the ceiling for a second. Then, slowly, I got up and went to help Nessie. My lying around wasn't going to change anything. I had to get this honeymoon packed up.

After everything was back in the suitcases, Nessie and I simply sat and held hands. For the five hours it took Edward to arrive, we sat in mostly silence. The television was turned on at one point, but turned back off soon afterwards. I couldn't bear to see how everyone else's lives were just picking up and going on, when my own life felt so off the rails.

When Edward finally got there, it was about six p.m. He greeted Nessie with a hug and a kiss on the cheek and then turned to look at me. Pity and sadness burned in his eyes. "I'm so sorry, Jacob," he murmured.

I swallowed hard, nodding. The last thing I needed was to break down right there, with Edward watching. Silently, he and Nessie loaded the suitcases back in the boat. When they were done, Edward gestured for me to come on.

And that officially ended our honeymoon.

Once we were on the plane back to Forks, Edward spoke. "We talked with Rachel…she wanted the…service to take place tomorrow. We would've asked you, but…you seemed the most attached to Billy. We were afraid it'd hurt you."

"I'm hurt already, Edward," I said in a dead voice.

Edward winced. "I'll be quiet now."

"Oh, Daddy, you were just trying to help," Nessie said.

"I'm not doing much good."

I listened to their conversation, resting my pounding head against the cool plane window. I just wanted to wake up. Wake up from the nightmare.

When we arrived on Forks, it was about one or two in the morning. Emmett was at the airport to take us back to the Cullens' house. The ride was spent in silence, with Edward and Emmett up front, and Ness and I holding each other in the back. Tears started silently streaming down my face once, and, glancing over at Nessie, saw that she, too, was crying. She kissed me and squeezed my hand comfortingly, and it gave me a dose of reality. I still had Nessie. I still had my angel.

Emmett kept looking at me in the rearview mirror while he and Edward conversed in too low and fast a tone for me to catch. I knew it was about me, because I managed to catch my name a few times.

"I'm sitting right here, you know," I said finally.

They shut up, after that.

The second the jeep pulled to a stop, I jumped out and sprinted headlong for the woods, to our cottage. I had to get to the seclusion of my home. I had to get away from the chaos that seemed to follow me everywhere I went.

"Jacob, Rachel's here!" I heard Edward call.

"She can come to _me_!" I yelled back, running inside.

Nessie was close on my tail, coming in just seconds after I did. She and I both noticed Bella sitting in a rocking chair at the same time.

"Why are you in here?" I asked. It sounded rude.

"Because Seth fell asleep in here, and I wasn't leaving him alone." She held up a worn book. "I was reading _WutheringHeights_." She hesitated, and then smiled sadly. "Again."

I sat heavily on the couch, and Nessie came down beside me. "Bells…was there anything…anything that could've been done to save him?" I asked.

"No, Jake. I'm sorry. He was little more than…" she trailed off.

"Little more than _what_?" I insisted, gritting my teeth.

"Jacob, don't make me say it."

"I need to hear it out loud. Maybe it will make it more real."

She took a quavering breath, closing her book. "He was little more than a pile of ashes when I found him. Some…_small_ parts left. We managed to salvage a piece of material off his shirt and a lock of his hair for you and your sisters."

I stifled a sob, swallowing hard. "Thanks. I needed to hear that. Maybe now I'll quit thinking it was all a bad dream."

Bella's face twisted in sorrow, and she looked down.

Seth Masen came padding out of his bedroom, hair ruffled. He yawned massively, then blinked. "Mommy! Daddy!"

"Hey, buddy," I said, letting him crawl into my lap. "Were you good while we were gone?"

"For the most part," Seth said. "Me and Mickey fought a little, but Aunt Rose made us stand in the corner until we apologized. And Daddy! Guess what! I have _another_ aunt! Your sister! I didn't know you had a sister."

"Yeah," I said. He hadn't mentioned Billy…

"But something bad happened while you were gone, Daddy," Seth said suddenly, face solemn.

Rachel came in the door, sitting down on the other side of me and grasping my hand. "Hey, Jacob," she said, voice husky from crying.

"Rache," I whispered. "It's been forever. Too bad we meet again on such horrible circumstances."

Rachel nodded. "The rest wanted to come out with me…but I thought…it would be best for them to stay."

I nodded. "I'll see them in a few minutes. I need the time to get collected."

"Have you talked to Rebecca?" Bella asked gently.

My expression hardened. "Yep."

"Is she okay?"

I let out a bitter laugh. "She's more than okay. In fact, she probably could care less either way. It's not her problem."

"Oh, Jake, you don't mean that," Bella scolded.

Rachel looked up. "Yes he does. Becca's never shown any pity or sadness. When Mom died, she didn't shed a tear, and she was only thirteen. I haven't talked to her in years, but I'll guarantee she's still the same way. She's ashamed of our family, and the sooner we're all gone, the better. When she found Jake was a shape shifter, she was disgusted. When Dad landed himself in a wheelchair, she was embarrassed. Her exact words were, 'Oh, joy. Now not only is our mom rotting in the ground, our dad is a lame cripple who won't be able to work. I feel sorry for Jacob living back home. Poor kid's got a bum for a father, don't you agree, Rache?' She acted like he wasn't even her father anymore."

Bella winced. "Some sister."

Seth was staring, mouth open. "I have_ another_ aunt?" he demanded.

"You'll never have to call Rebecca your aunt," I said firmly.

"You never even mentioned her _or_ Aunt Rachel! Ever!"

"Seth, lower your voice," Nessie said.

Seth turned on her. "What about you? Do you have any sisters or brothers you've never told me about? Do I have an Uncle Bob Cullen floating around out there somewhere?"

"I truly _am_ an only child. Trust me. There was no one else in there with me, Seth. I would've remembered."

"I'm going back to bed," Seth said, disgusted. "Wake me up if there's another aunt you wanna tell me about."

He walked back to his bedroom, shaking his head.

That was exactly what _I_ wanted to do, as well. But I wasn't a child anymore. I had to face the music.


	36. IMPORTANT UPDATE FROM THE AUTHOR

**_I am alive, and I will return!_**

_So I just thought I needed to let all of you lovely amazing people know that I have not slipped off of the face of the earth. I have not abandoned the story. I have not even taken a sabbatical from the story. But I don't currently have access to the PC that my writing is stored on. Fingers crossed that it's back in my hands tomorrow, Thursday hopefully at the latest. But the next chapter will be put up, and the one after that, and so on. :) You guys are awesome. I hope you can forgive me for being crappy with the uploads lately, but they will come! Thanks for sticking around; you all are beautiful. ~TranquilGuardian xxx _


	37. Chapter 36: The Funeral And The Surprise

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Twilight Saga.**

_A/N: So here it is, a little bitter later than expected but still up. *embarrassed expression* I hope you like it! This fanfiction will be drawing to a close soon, but the sequel that I'm about half done with will be up soon after the last chapter of this one is posted. There's only one chapter and an epilogue after this chapter, sadly. :( I hope you'll be willing to stick around for the sequel! Things get a bit far fetched after this chapter, but bear with me. :P I tried not to make it too insane, but there's not much I can do with the plot I'm heading for without a bit of good old fashioned fantasy. As for the questioning I've gotten on what happened to Billy...well, that's another thing you won't find out until the sequel! *grins impishly* I had to rewrite part of this chapter as well, due to deciding to take out a large part of the chapter and save it for a later date. It just wasn't time for that particular part to see the light of day, but it will later in the second installment! You guys are awesome, thanks for reading this far! xxx_

**CHAPTER THIRTY SIX: THE FUNERAL AND THE SURPRISE**

I looked in the long mirror in my bedroom, my hands shaking as I buttoned my suit. In less than an hour, I would have to go to La Push, face Jared, the one who mauled Billy in the first place, (while trying not to rip his throat out) and bury the ashes of my father.

Nessie came up behind me and wrapped her arms around me. I could tell she'd been crying. So had I. _Everyone_ had been. "Jacob, I'm so sorry," she whispered, all choked up.

"S'not your fault," I said quietly, a lump in my throat. There was no use in her apologizing for something that she couldn't have helped even if she'd known.

"I know," she replied miserably. "But I _feel_ like it is. If we hadn't gone on our honeymoon, we could've been there to stop whatever newborn did this. But instead, we were…thousands of miles away."

"What's done is done. There's no point in going back to think about all the '_what ifs_.'" I turned around and kissed her forehead. "Nothing you could've done could've changed anything. Don't even think this was in any way your fault."

Nessie nodded, a single tear falling down her face. "Let's gather Seth and go. The rest are waiting for us."

I walked into Seth's bedroom, leaning down and hugging him to me. "Let's go, buddy," I said softly.

Seth wrapped his arms around my neck and squeezed. "I'm sorry, Dad," he whispered. "I'm really _really_ sorry."

* * *

I watched in anguish as Billy's urn was lowered into the ground by Emmett, right next to my mom's grave. His eyes were tight as he patted the dirt down gently on top of it, brow furrowed like he was going to do something horribly wrong if he didn't use his utmost concentration.

Nessie was sobbing quietly in my arms, and I tried for her sake to hold it together. It wouldn't do any good to lose it now. I had to be strong for my family.

Emmett stood up, brushing his hands off on his pants. "Billy Black was a good man. He'll be missed," he said simply, fists clenched in emotion. I saw his jaw working; he was trying not to let it tremble.

Jasper cleared his throat, stepping forward. "Billy was really amazing. He gave us hope."

Edward came forward. "He was a father, a grandfather, and a friend."

Jared took a deep breath, and, glancing at me, stepped forward. "Billy…became a vampire because of me. Yet I know he never held anything against me. He was forgiving. And Jacob, I hope you can forgive me too."

Unable to say anything kind, I simply nodded in acknowledgement at him. It definitely wasn't a nod of acceptance.

Becca stepped forward, biting her lip. "I-I never was the best daughter. I ran off as soon as I could, and I was never there for him. I was never there for my siblings, either. And….I kind of wish I could take that back now." She met my eyes. "It took somebody yelling some since into my head for me to realize that."

I watched her in amazement. Even yesterday, she'd been being rude on the phone. What could've changed her mind so quickly? Guilt? Unlikely. Becca never felt guilt. There was no way I'd made her feel guilty.

"I'm gonna miss you, Dad," Rachel managed, and Paul bowed his head as he kissed the top of her head comfortingly.

Charlie's eyes were swollen as he shoved his hands into his suit pockets dejectedly, the damp wind sending leaves swirling across his shoes. "Billy, I…I'm not real sure what I'm going to do without you, buddy. You were…one of my best friends. It's going to suck living without you, but, uh…" He cleared his throat in embarrassment as his voice broke. "But I hope you've found peace, wherever you are. I'm going to miss you, man."

Sue rested her head on his shoulder, chin trembling, and a soft noise of misery escaped her mouth. I watched numbly as Esme came forward and placed an assuring hand against Sue's back, whispering words of comfort in her ear.

Nessie broke away from me, swallowing. "I really appreciated Billy. He was like an extra grandparent for me in a way. He listened. He was the one, who, when everyone else thought that I'd be a monster and needed destroyed, never said anything against me."

I saw Sam's eyes cast down in embarrassment, but he nodded in acknowledgment.

"Billy was the best man I've ever known," Quil said simply, unable to say more.

"Can't believe he's dead," Embry added solemnly.

Seth wasn't crying, but his mouth was a tight line. "I don't have much to say, except for that it's gonna be really weird without you, Billy." Leah nodded in silent agreement, eyes streaming.

"I'll miss you, Billy," Seth Masen and Makenna said in unison, tears streaming down their face. Rosalie, who was standing behind both of them, hugged them to her wordlessly.

I stepped forward and said what no one else had said. It was all I would be able to manage; all I needed him to know. Something I hadn't told him nearly enough.

"I love you, Dad."

* * *

That evening, I noticed that there was none of the usual joking or gentle ribbing going on within the household. It was maddeningly silent in the main house, with even the kids behaving and not arguing or carrying on. Carlisle had disappeared soon after the funeral, making off to his study and not coming back out. I initially assumed it was because he was mourning in his own way, but Edward had informed me that he'd been behaving strangely for a few _days_. Prior to my returning home, he'd apparently disappeared from the house for the entire day and returned late that same night without so much as a word on where he'd been.

I was just going to go collect Seth from Makenna's bedroom and head home for the night in a mentally exhausted state when the door to Carlisle's study burst open and he came enthusiastically out of it, eyes bright.

"There is something else strange that I need to tell you," he said, sounding exhilarated. "Guys, gather round."

Everyone curiously came close, wanting to hear what Carlisle had to say. Everyone listened to the doc. It was an unwritten rule.

"I've been doing research. Careful research. I'm always striving to stumble upon remarkable things that I didn't know were possible or existed; it's my love for knowledge coming through. I found something very interesting from a vampire scientist in India that could possibly change the existence of vampires forever. I have recently been playing around with the theory of…mortality. Becoming mortal from an immortal state. Many cultures have legends of gods or other immortal beings becoming mortal, primarily as punishment, but I never considered it anything more than mythology.

"I got to thinking; what if there were truth to the legends? What if there was some way to transform a being like us back into a human state? I was more than pleased with the results of my search. I heard of a man from India; a _shaman_, if you will. I was more than skeptical at first, because this man claimed to have…a _mortality_ potion. I found out that the man was a vampire. He said that he found no need to drink it himself, but was extremely old and knew the secrets of the herbs and drugs on this planet. He told me that he and he alone knew how to combine them to restart a dead heart with this drink. It's…a beverage of natural and chemical components…and, if what this man is saying is true…well, to put things simply, it can turn you back into a human."


End file.
